Daily Inspiration 3-31-18

"Break a leg!" 

-- Theatrical slang for Good Luck! 

[Classic post from 6-29-16]

I can't tell you why, but strange, seemingly random thoughts pop into my head at will. Yesterday, the idiom, break a leg! just popped into my mind, and then I immediately thought, no--break a chain! Okay, that was weird. But it felt perfect, so I went with it.

With flashbacks to the song, Unchain My Heart, I imagined how we have a tendency to chain ourselves to or to feel tied to someone, or something, or even an idea or belief, fear.

I like how Assata Shakur defines that: "People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave."

I realize and understand that being chained to anything is a self-inflicted act, but even enlightened people may sometimes not be paying attention, and as Assata Shakur said so well, "people get used to anything," even being chained up.

But, these chains--and I believe there can be many at the same time, can be broken. We, alone, have the power to break these chains. It is not something that anyone can do to help us, except perhaps to help us see them, and then just love us while we make the decision to break them one by one until we are feeling that glorious freedom of release.

Now, you might be the exception and have no chains that bind you. Fantastic. You can support a friend or loved one who does, as you would be a great example of that glorious freedom, and we lead best by example.

But, for the rest of us, including myself, I say that today is Break A Chain Day! Go out, or rather, go within, and break a chain today! Break a chain! Just one. Experience the feeling of the decision, and the action of breaking that chain. It might be a little chain, an easy one to break. Great. It doesn't matter. The degree is only in our mind anyway. Celebrate that release. Rest in that release. Feel that joy and the peace of mind. Yes! You did it.

Ready for another? Break that chain! Not ready for another? Pause, reflect on the one you took out and live to decide and act another day. It's all good. We are always in charge. Awareness is the key. Procrastination is okay for a while. Just remember the joy of the doing.

I hope you have only a few chains. We get so used to them that we don't realize how many there are. But, we have the power and we can break one at a time and feel the relief of each one, delight in each decision, and celebrate each movement. I am committed to breaking at least one chain today. I have a list of them. I created them. I can break them. And I will relish the joy of doing just that.

One last thought. Sometimes, we might imagine that a chain is attached to us and that we are being held and that we need to break that chain. And, sometimes maybe the chain isn't really attached to us, but we are simply holding on to it. In these cases, there is no need to break the chain, we simply need to let go of it. I think that once we see how this is true, we will realize that all the chains are being held by us and that they aren't ever attached to us. We are attached to them.


Today Is Break A Chain Day. Break A Chain! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by unchaining that joy that comes standard in every human being. We think we should save it, but it is unlimited and is best expressed opulently.

Daily Inspiration 3-30-18

"They say to be yourself
as if one could actually do otherwise." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 6-30-16]

I was thinking today of a local businessman. I've known him since 1980, and I've done business with him many times in the tens of thousands of dollars over the years. It's been quite a while since I have been in his store or bought anything as I don't have need of his products any more.

A word I might use to describe him is cantankerous. Some might say cranky, opinionated, negative too. But, I love him. I feel like I can see right through him to the part that he often hides. Do you know any people like that? How do you really feel about them?

I have no relationship with this person other than I respect what he's done and appreciate how he's been generous with me on purchases. He's owned the same business longer than I've known him, so I appreciate his tenacity, especially in the business he's in because I used to own one like his, and that is how we initially met.

The reason I mention this person is to expose the idea that no matter how gruff a person may choose to be on the outside, there is nothing but love on the inside. It may be many layers deep in there, but it is always there, because I believe that we are all the same in this, and we are all love underneath our individual personalities and appearance. And, when we have the interest, we can choose to see that within others, while at the same time allowing them to be how they choose to be.

He and I don't see eye to eye on the business he's in and many of the ideas that might surround it, but I respect his point of view while not agreeing with it. And, isn't that so much of what love is?

I worked for a manager many years ago who said that no one ever met his expectations. He wanted people to be like he wanted them to be, and he was constantly disappointed that they didn't live up to his expectations. This caused him all manner of disappointment, frustration, and anger. Where is the love in that? If he could have respected where others were while not agreeing with them, the resistance would have been lessened, or even released entirely, allowing him to see the love that is within all of us.

Back then, he was my nemesis. But, I was in a similar place in many ways. It was only after his passing, that I realized that I loved the man and respected his travels, as I learned to love and respect myself and my journey.

One of the most insightful and delightful quotes I've ever found is by Abraham Lincoln where he said, "I don't like that man! I will have to get to know him better." What a perfect point of view. We feel their difference, but we know that if we bother to look past it, we will find that which we all are made of.

Maybe next time we run into someone who is cranky, negative, seemingly mean-spirited, we could just accept them at face value: I don't like that person. But, as so many of us stop there, let us take it to the next level: I will have to get to know them better. Maybe next time we run across a person like this, we will celebrate instead.


I See. I Release. I Allow. I Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing that person the way they are, then releasing our resistance to them, allowing them to be as they choose to be without any need to agree with them, and then love them as they are knowing that deep inside, we are all one in the same.

Daily Inspiration 3-29-18

"In this life, there are many value illusions." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 9-29-15]

It has come to my attention that there are a lot of things that are misconceptions. I'm here to say that we need to see things the way they really are instead of the way we've always thought they were.

Teaching. Teachers are considered valuable, but teachers really can't teach anything. They can't impart it to someone. No. They can share, but not really teach, at least the way we thought they did. The real value is the learner. When the learner is actively seeking knowledge, it cannot be hidden. It will be found. The real value is learning, not teaching.

There's a lot of books. Books are valuable they say. Really popular books are more valuable because they are popular. Really good books by really smart authors are really valuable. At least that's the way it seems. But, no, that's not where the value is. The value is in the reader. If not for the reader then the book would not be needed. It is reading that is really valuable. When we want to know something, we will stumble across the books that we can add value to. Yes, we add value to the book, not the other way around.

Alan Cohen says, "Success is less about getting good, and more about letting good." In sales, a salesperson can have skills, but mostly they just need a pleasant personality and a desire to aid a buyer in finding what they want. Everyone is looking for a top salesperson, but the real value is in the buyer. No buyer and the best salesperson on the planet is useless. But a real buyer will find a way to buy regardless of the skills of a salesperson. It's the buyer that is valuable.

The speaker is cool, but it is the audience that makes the difference. In a relationship, it is not the talker but the listener. In lovemaking, it isn't the lover as much as the unbridled receptiveness. In a performance, it is not the performer as much as it is the responsive crowd.

Both sides have value, but we may often forget which is the most important, where without the one the outcome would be so different. Remember also that when we go to an event, performance and such that we bring so much value in that participation.


Go Add Some Value To A Book, Lecture, Movie, Song, Show, Event. Thank You For The Value You Bring Here. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because it is Tuesday. Tuesday's need some extra joy.

Daily Inspiration 3-28-18

"It's not your partner's job 

to be more lovable. 

It's your job 

to be more loving." 

-- Barbara DeAngelis 

[Classic post from 12-29-16]

So true, and this short bit of wisdom took me so many years to truly understand. I don't think it was until I began studying the many authors in The Secret, most notably, the Teachings of Abraham beginning in 2007, that I began to accept, and then fully accepting this premise.

My relationships, especially marriage and other romantic relationships, adding in my relationships with those above me in my employment travels, were probably what many call normal: People do what they do and you wish they wouldn't, you want better, you want them to treat you better, give you more respect and appreciation for busting my ass for them and not getting my 'fair share' of the spoils, and the list is so long that I would lament on it just about every day in one way or another, and if not vocally, in my constant mental talk. It's the classic idea that what is wrong is outside of myself, and no matter what I do, I keep getting the short end of the stick. Boo-hoo.

Sure, I tried to make the best of it--don't we all? But, as positive as I tried to be, my inner world was one of massive negativity. I can see it so clearly in looking in the rearview mirror. I was never happy. I was pleasant, respectful (most of the time), and as easy-going as I could muster, but happy? Not really. Joy? What is that?

Of course, what I learned in my studies was that it wasn't them. It wasn't my wife. It wasn't my boss. It wasn't the government. It wasn't anything outside of myself. And, this was the hard revelation: It was ME. As much as I didn't want it to be me, or my fault, or my problem, or my world--too bad. It was. It is. It will always be. Then I was reminded of one of The Eagles songs that I took to heart: Get Over It. And, so I began to let go and find a more effective perspective.

Expecting anyone else regardless of our relationship to be something for me, or to act in a pleasing way to me, or to treat me in a certain way, is something that I now understand is truly pointless. If I want my wife to love me more or show me more love, I have to be the one doing that instead of putting that expectation on her or on my boss, or on any other. I had to learn something I was told way back in the early 1970s: Own your own feelings. Back then I didn't really get that in the way I get it now. And, it took a long journey to get there, but life is all about the journey, right? I learned it. I began living it, and now it is part of me.

I was tested by fire during the last two years of my wife's terminal illness, and I learned more about unconditional love than I ever had. As well, I learned more about patience than I had ever known. I couldn't change her or how she felt, or how she treated me, but I could choose to let go of all of that and just love her, accept her as she was then, appreciate all that had been in the 26 years we were together. I found cracks in my relatively new perspective and strengthened my resolve to let go of what was outside of me, and choose to love, to be at peace, and even to find joy.

If you are anything like I was, expecting much from others, disappointed when they are not as I want them to be, I hope this personal message helps, even if it only opens the tiniest crack to get started. It will change your life for the better, as it has truly healed my own. My perspective is now as if I am looking at the world from space, rather than the cracks in the sidewalk, and I now truly love without condition.


If It Isn't Working, Try A Different Perspective. Life Is Meant To Be Joyful. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by releasing your need for others to be anything other than they already are.

Daily Inspiration 3-27-18

"Great things are done 

by a series of small things 

brought together." 

-- Vincent Van Gogh 

[Classic post from 12-30-16]

I was thinking this morning that there is a financial term called depreciation. It is the purposeful reduction of a so-called asset to charge off income to reduce the tax burden the net revenue demands. This term can be used in a lot of ways, and in all ways, it is making something less. We are said to be depreciating something.

Another financial term is appreciation. Something goes up in value, perhaps increasing assets, whether in real money or on paper. This term can be used in a lot of ways also, and in all ways, it is making something more or acknowledging the value of something that perhaps we had not noticed before. We are then said to be appreciating.

How many times, or how many days does one have to do something for it to become a habit? I've heard and read many times that it is about 21 days, and some say about 30 days, but it can happen quicker and also slower than this. I think it has more to do with intention mixed with a smidgen of willpower.

So I thought if a person is habitually in a state of depreciation, or I could say, finding fault, seeing what is wrong, in general seeing a lot of life as a glass half empty, how would they reverse this state of depreciation and turn it into a state of appreciation? And, the answer was that it has to do with an intention mixed with a smidgen of willpower, and a commitment to do for a selected period as a test, if nothing else, that it can be done.

Of course, the easy way to know where we are is how we feel most of the time. Someone who is in a state of depreciation, finding fault with many things throughout the day, will notice that they do not feel very good. In fact, probably not good at all, and someone in a state of appreciation will always be feeling pretty dang good. An easy way to decide is simply to ask how I want to feel? Good or crappy? Hmm.

Here's an example. I'm up and in my sweats and at 6:20 am I decide I want a sausage egg sandwich and a latte from Starbucks. I get in the truck and drive to Suisun City, less than two miles away. It's 36 degrees according to my truck temperature gauge. It's dark. I stop for a guy who just got off a bus and is standing on the corner at the crosswalk. He stands there. Then, I drive on. But, I stopped. That felt good, even though he wasn't really ready. He only looked the part. I turn the corner, and a train is coming, and the train crossing guards come down. I watch the train. It's interesting. I enjoy the little drive to Starbucks, place my order, and drive out. All the while on this drive so far, I am so enjoying my 15-year old truck. It runs like a top, and I love it. It feels good.

On the way back, I pass an apartment complex--well, two actually. Many years back, all the larger apartment complexes around here put up black iron fences and gates. I don't know if it was to keep them in or keep others out, but they cannot be missed. The second one was bought out by some company that completely renovated the complex and changed the name. They are obviously different. They painted the fence bright orange, along with all the balcony fences, and front doors. It's bold, and obviously, cannot be missed. I am in appreciation of their creativity, their taking care of the property, making it better for the renters, and demonstrating that they appreciate the complex too. And, I think the orange against the brown buildings is quite attractive.

I could go on, but this is a perfect example of being in a state of appreciation. I am looking for things to appreciate, and I am feeling good. That old negative self-talk is on hold. I am in charge of my thoughts and my observations this morning, and I do this all the time now. It has become habitual. It doesn't matter how insignificant a thing that I find appreciation for was, it is now significant. It requires no willpower anymore, and it didn't require very much, to begin with.

So, here's a resolution worth keeping: Move into a state of appreciation. It will change your life. Guaranteed.


What State Do I Live In? Appreciation. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding perfection rather than finding fault.

Daily Inspiration 3-26-18

"As we move without, 

or advance deep within, 

what we see now as an issue 

becomes infinitely thin." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 12-17-16]

Many years ago, I acquired a set of scientific books in a series. One book was called, The Powers of Ten. I have never forgotten it and it has really helped to give me another opportunity at choosing a perspective. There is also a great YouTube video of it here.

It begins with the view of life that we live within, and then in increments of the power of ten moves away, eventually into the deepest space 100 million light-years away. Then it comes back to our current life reality space, pausing only for a moment, then moving within, under our skin, into the deepest spaces of atoms and energy within.

This helped me because what we think is a problem, is only a problem from a certain perspective, and as we move away or within, we no longer can see or feel problems. They just don't exist. Even if all of the powers of destruction that we have made on earth were amassed in one place and exploded, that would be so insignificant to the powers that the universe controls.

We hear of and see on the television a war going on in various places on earth, with much terrible bloodshed, and trauma, and yet as we withdraw only the small distance to the International Space Station, we see no war or destruction. Indeed, as we look at the Earth from space, it is so colorful and beautiful, and alive.

When a problem or an issue has our attention. It can be a real treat to let go of it if even for a few minutes, to see that problem, or problems, or issues from a different perspective. When we come back to them, as we will inevitably do, they may be so much easier to deal with than before. Mentally move out into space for a few moments and see the Earth as beautiful. See the harmony of the Universe in action. Take a little break from 'what is' to see 'what is' from a different perspective.


Pause. Try A Different Perspective. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing things with refreshed eyes, or better yet, see them with your heart rather than your eyes.

Daily Inspiration 3-25-18

"The world is full of magic things, 

patiently waiting for our senses 

to grow sharper."

-- W. B. Yeats 

[Classic post from 12-16-16]

What is the purpose of intention? To move Energy. So let's do some right now. Say this with me:

Today, I will experience some magic. 

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

and I will be delighted and amazed. 

Now that the Energy has lined up with your intention, all you need do is pay attention.


Ask, And You Will Receive! 

Spread Some Joy Today--because that is your ultimate goal in life. Well, part of it. The other part is having it to give away. Say this with me: Joy, you complete me!

Daily Inspiration 3-24-18

"WYSIWYG is an acronym meaning 

What You See Is What You Get, 

but it is often what you don't see 

that affects what you get."

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 12-12-16]

Way back in high school, I took a class called Stagecraft. We were the behind the scenes people. In fact, we built the 'flats' that became the scene backgrounds. Without what is going on behind the scenes, the scene people would see would be dramatically different. No pun intended.

It is this way with everything in the entire world I think. At least I am becoming more aware that this seems to be true.

In sales, I used to teach that when a prospect or customer seems irritated and short in their answers, it may be that someone kicked their cat before they left home. In other words, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that we haven't got a clue about, and as we bump into people who are acting irritated, it's more than likely not you, but something going on in their lives.

They don't necessarily realize that they are bringing emotional pieces of those behind the scenes issues with them to work, or to the car garage to get their car repaired, or the dentist, or the line at the return counter at the store in the mall.

I mentioned in a recent post that we are all walking wounded in some sort of way, and I know that is true. It's not necessarily that they have negative things going on, although that might often be true, just a lot of stuff going on, plans to make, pieces to tie together, other people to try to please, and the list can go on forever.

This season--especially if we wait until this month to go Christmas shopping can add just enough more to the pile of things going on behind the scenes of people to visibly see some cracks in their performance during the day. It may not take much when so many layers of things are going on in someone's life, and even though there may be some hard things to deal with for them going on, it may just be a lot of little things that gets heavier each day.

So, this can be really helpful to allow us to be a little bit more understanding when people show irritation, or anger, and such. Compassion is the best thing we can serve them as they come and pass through our daily lives. Cut them some slack. Give them a break. Deal with things as best you can, and as you do, remember how many things are going on behind the scenes in your own life. I'm sure that will help.

Bless People Straight Through What You See In Front Of You Soothing All That Is Behind The Scenes. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because every little blessing helps.

Daily Inspiration 3-23-18

"Human interaction 

is a complex environment." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 12-14-16]

Last night I watched a movie on DVD just released, Southside With You, about the first 'date' (a heartily debated term in the movie) of Barrack and Michelle, later to become the Obama's. In an impromptu speech he made at a gathering of concerned citizens trying to get the city to help them with a community center, there was so much negativity about the 'no' that they received from the city, and how angry, disappointed, and frustrated they were with the long struggle through the political process. Barrack suggested they stop focusing on the no and turn the letters around to 'on,' as in to carry on.

But more than this, he was asking them to look so much deeper than what they see and currently feel and do their best to try to understand the other many valid points of view, the feelings of the others involved, to look at the much bigger picture of the process and more.

At the same time, he was not taking no for an answer from Michelle, and it was as if none of that fazed him, and he just took a slightly different approach each time, some bold, some soft, and all toward the goal of having her become his girlfriend. I've seen some very good closers in the auto business, but none of Barrack's caliber!

How many noes does it take to get a yes? It has been taught in sales for years that it is at least five on average.

At the same time, I am listening to a new audiobook by Jia Jiang, titled, Rejection-Proof -- How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection. It is fascinating, to say the least, and he has become famous for doing crazy things to try to be rejected on purpose while recording each encounter on video. He was amazed how he got many totally unexpected yeses instead of the much-anticipated noes.

In the book, it is the fear of rejection that keeps us from going past the first no. In fact, it often keeps us from trying to get the first no. What's the use? They're just going to say, no. Right? So, he decided to desensitize himself to the idea of being rejected as being a negative thing. And, it paid off in so many unexpected ways.

Jia wasn't just trying to get noes to desensitize himself to them anymore. That was the original plan, but early on he realized that talking about the request or answering the 'why' question often led to a change in not only the answer but the demeanor of the entire confrontation. He began to see mutual benefit instead of self-seeking or self-preserving opponents. This changed everything about the game and changes of direction in his own life as a result of what he learned.

As we decide that we want something, the best beginning I think is to try to visualize it as already being done. As Jesus and so many other grand leaders have taught, it is as we believe and that it is our belief that is the healer, builder, manager. As we give up on our quest because we think it is too big, or too anything, this is an indication that there never was any belief at all. It is the belief that rules and every other circumstance, need, relationship, money, things, and more is at the beckon call of the belief.

In the movie, Barrack had a belief that it could be different, and that he could make a difference in that by helping those in the room think about things differently. Not just more positively, although that is also true, but more openly, considering many things that they would have heretofore not even considered. In this, they open themselves to possibility, as Jia opened himself to possibility, and once in that realm, what we think and see changes. As Wayne Dyer has said, "When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change."


It Is Possible? It Is Not Only Possible, It Can Even Become Probable And Then Accomplished. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by believing in yourself. You can do whatever your heart desires with that belief.

Daily Inspiration 3-22-18

"The real value of competition 

is contrast."

-- Terry Minion 

[Classic post from 12-13-16]

This morning when I was in the kitchen having some coffee and an egg sandwich, my mind went into the archives and brought out a memory that caused me to think the statement above.

The memory was when foreign cars started selling in the United States. My stepdad drove from Sonoma where we lived to Fairfield CA and bought a Datsun pickup at a new dealership there. It was a dinky little thing. I think they called it a compact pickup. At 6' 3" I barely fit in the little cab. It was designed to carry the weight that would belie its overall size. It had heavy duty truck type tires and even some mudflaps. It rode like a tank, and even though the metal seemed thinner than U.S. vehicles, doors thinner, and things like that, it was made with quality in mind along with functionality.

Later, he would buy a Datsun 510 wagon, which I crashed one night, and before that, and even after it was fixed, it was a high-quality vehicle.

Later still, after leaving the Air Force as an auto mechanic, I went to work at S&K Chevrolet in Vallejo CA as a salesman, and then two years later became a sales manager. As I worked there selling Chevy's and teaching others how to do the same, I was often disappointed in the quality of the vehicles coming from the factory to the dealership. I worked there from late 1972 to the end of 1979.

The worst quality vehicle we sold was the Corvette. The paint was terrible, fit and finish bad, but that was overlooked often because it was, after all, THE Corvette, America's only true production sports car, or so the ads went. It seemed like the factory just didn't care too much about what they put out. I remember one time when there was a rattle in a car that they couldn't seem to find. Finally determining exactly where the sound was coming from, they cut open the sail panel and found a soda can inside.

In the meantime, foreign cars, as we called them, kept coming with new makes and constant improvements. They didn't even have to sell them, they just took numbers. They were mainly from Japan--Datsun (now Nissan), Honda, Toyota, Mazda, and more. Their contrast is what was their big success. Everything fit, higher quality, longer service without the typical and obvious decline in quality of performance. They began awakening the giants of industry in the U.S., and they finally responded; albeit, it took quite some time before they rose to the competition's quality level.

Complacency is a funny thing. It seems normal after a while. Competition has a way of showing how complacent things have been. But, it is simply, and beautifully contrast in its truest form. Sometimes all you have to say is, "Hey! Look over here! What do you think?" People can see and appreciate the difference.

Of course, this idea applies to a lot of things in life, not just our work, or products we manufacture. It applies to relationships too. People leave each other because of the contrast. People become complacent with each other, and then some contrast passes by. Well, hello contrast! It happens in our routines. After a while, complacency can be the norm and all the rewards that go along with that. Rewards? Of course! And then, some contrast sparks our interest. I really want to look that good, he or she says. I'm tired of this place. I want someplace new.

It's all contrast. Calling it competition is a misnomer. It is just contrast, and as we realize our complacent ruts and drag on doing the same, now boring things, we yearn for some life-giving contrast.


Without Contrast, There Would Be No Living. There Might Be Life, Just Barely, But Contrast Is The Spice Of Life. It Moves Us. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by unwrapping that complacent joy and let it fly!

Daily Inspiration 3-21-18

"You don't have to feel like a failure, 

powerless, or even depressed

in order to feel like shit. 

In fact, any reason will do." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 12-15-16]

There are so many good reasons to feel like shit. Wonderful reasons. Justified reasons. All of them work as good as the other. Whatever our focus it is justified in one way or another, and there is so much help to have us focus on problems in our lives and all around the world, that we don't really even have to ask. It is given regardless.

What a great way to start an inspirational message, right? There's always plenty to feel like shit about as we choose to focus there. Yet, as we choose to focus on what feels delightful, we will find all manner of reasons to feel good, and even way better than good. We could be overwhelmed with joy if we really got into it. But, I'm not so sure we can actually be overwhelmed when it comes to joy. . .

I was reading a few bits this morning and was amazed how they all lined up. For example, this popped out at me from Wayne Dyer: "Remember, it's always about being in harmony with your Source. Your thoughts can either emerge from a beingness that's in rapport with intention or in contradiction to it." 

I loved this bit from Abraham, Esther Hicks: "When you take the problems of the world on your shoulders, your body doesn't feel good. It's just that simple. Leave the problems of the world to the individual problem-makers of the world, and you be the joy-seeker that you are." 

Here's another from Abraham, Esther Hicks: "Make a decision of what you want, give your attention there, find the feeling place of it--and you're there instantly. There is no reason for you to suffer or struggle your way to or through anything." 

I have learned that as I think, I create my reality. That is hard to take sometimes because there seems to be so much outside influence in play; however, that outside influence is predominantly created in response to our focus and thought. The Law of Attraction helps us with more thoughts matching the vibration of our current thoughts. I get it and know how it works, and I can see it working in my life and in the lives of others.

Plus, I have studied this so much, that you'd think I couldn't get any new insights, but that would be wrong. I got another one today right between the eyes--or at least, that's the way it felt.

Whatever we want, whether health instead of illness, abundance instead of lack, peace instead of turmoil and such, we have to focus on what we want. Yet, in a world where we have conditioned ourselves to be reminded of lack in so many ways from our past, for example, we think so often about that lack. Lack of this, not enough of that, never getting ahead, too much month at the end of the money, and the list goes on and on. I can still remember my step-father opening the fridge and yelling, "who drank the last of the milk?" My invited friend spoke up that he did, and my step-dad was so upset with him. My friend wasn't sure why it was being saved for no one in particular. But, that is pure lack thinking, isn't it?

So, we have this energy of lack going on inside. We decide that we want abundance, and follow the idea of Abraham to visualize abundance and to get that feeling of abundance, and we do for a few seconds, and then we go back to our daily life currently filled with lack expressions and thoughts.

We find that it is so much work to try to "think positive" when the reality is showing us otherwise. So, we often give up on the "airy-fairy" new-age thoughts create my reality stuff, and stay where we are. Or, if not giving up, we do so little toward what we want, while spending the majority of our time with our current reality of lack.

So this morning, I thought about the Law of Attraction being easily confused by us; albeit, it is no respecter of person or thought, in that I visualized one abundant scenario and thought about my abundance for a few seconds one time today, and then I ended the day having visualized my reality of lack, and my thoughts of lack 55 times. Which do you think the Law of Attraction spent the most time on? It was giving me more thoughts to match my vibration of lack.

But, forcing myself to think positive thoughts, and to have abundant thoughts is so hard. My Emotional Guidance System tells me that I am feeling good when I think abundance because it is aligned with my Source of Well-Being, and as I think otherwise, I feel bad. I am then feeling bad more than feeling good. Sometimes we might call that feeling normal.

So, here's the learning from this morning. We don't have to sit and concentrate on abundant thoughts to overcome the lack thoughts, we merely, and delightfully only need to remain in alignment or resonating with our Inner Being by deciding to feel good. At the same time, we must let go of more and more of the resistance that we've accumulated with the lack thoughts.

It doesn't much matter what the thoughts are, but we want to feel better and feel good when we think them. Any good feeling thought is in alignment with abundance. Any bad feeling thought is out of alignment with our Source which is abundance.

The only rule, if there were to be any rules, would be the decision and the choice to want to feel good. As we think of anything that feels bad, we know we do not want it, and so as we choose to let loose of our grip on that rope, even as it may have been such a habit, we can pivot and choose to focus on something, anything, that causes us to feel good. Any thought. Look at a bush or a hummingbird, or the sky. It just doesn't matter what it is. As we are feeling good, the Law of Attraction will now bring us more that will help us to continue to feel good, even all throughout the day.

Don't worry about focusing thoughts on anything, in particular, focus instead on anything that causes a good feeling inside. Every good thing comes from this resonance or alignment within.


I Am In A Powerful Place As I Choose To Feel Good. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by thinking of any thought that feels good. Joy is called forth by such thoughts.

Daily Inspiration 3-20-18

"Learning, 

whether it comes from desire 

or from someone else's encouragement 

is still an incredible thing to me." 

-- Terry Minion 

[Classic post from 12-11-16]

This morning, I sat down at my trusty computer to write this post. I look to the left and grab a tissue and had instant gratitude for this flowery box of soft tissues. There's that one tissue sticking up in the air, I grab one, and another pops up for next time. I thought, hmmm, what a fantastic little non-mechanized machine! I wonder how they made these things since they are fragile paper. I went to YouTube and there at the top of my search I find How It's Made: Tissues.

What a wonderful world this is right now when you can sit at a computer and learn about pretty much anything you want, and even get differing perspectives too. When I was in school, no one had computers, nor did the school. The personal computer which changed life on this planet very quickly wasn't yet invented.

In the last couple of days, I had to learn some things, even about my own business. We run an Internet Marketing business called Upward Trend, and we do a lot, yet it is a dinky slice of that grand pie called the Internet. There's so much to know if you wanted to know it all, and I'm not sure there are any experts in the whole of it. So, I keep learning bits here and there.

A client sent me an email with some questions. I wasn't really clear on the answers, so I spent half my day yesterday doing research. Then, I was able to respond intelligently and try to have it make sense to the client. You could say I was forced to learn, but that isn't accurate. I was encouraged. I could have made some stuff up that sounded good, but I didn't, and I got to learn some cool things about analytics. What a minefield that is! Still, I was very pleased to learn what I did and be able to respond to the client with good advice.

I could have been bummed out that I had to do some research or put myself down because I didn't know the answers, but that is pointless, and besides, I love to learn. Even when I might be a bit resistant because I'm not sure where to find the information, as I let go of that silly rope, I'm excited and on an adventure in learning. Besides, what can you not find on one of the most fantastic inventions the world has ever seen since computers--the Internet.

I love learning more than almost anything, and I love getting excited about it and feeling the joy of it. It reminds me of being a kid, as I was even more excited about learning then.


What A Wonderful Time To Be Alive! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking an inquiring look at one or two things that you take for granted. See how they're made. Feel how wonderful they are in your life, even simple things like tissue, underarm deodorant, your sink faucet with drinkable, clean water coming out. Not long ago, none of this stuff existed.

Daily Inspiration 3-19-18

"Always the beautiful answer 

who asks a more beautiful question." 

-- e. e. cummings 

[Classic post from 12-10-16]

Last weekend, I did a guided meditation with Davidji that he called, Release All That Weighs You Down Weekend Meditation. During that meditation, I was overcome emotionally by feeling some blockages I have within, which is internal resistance.

Then this morning, I read a bit from Abraham, Esther Hicks that intrigued me:

"Your role is to utilize Energy. That is why you exist. You are an Energy-flowing Being--a focuser, a perceiver. You are a creator, and there is nothing worse in all of the Universe than to come forth into the environment of great contrast, where desire is easily born, and not allow Energy to flow to your desire--that is a true squandering of life."

Then, I read this one next:

"There is a current that runs through everything. It exists throughout the Universe, and it exists throughout All-That-Is. It is the basis of the Universe, and as you begin to understand this basis of your world and begin to feel for your awareness of this Source Energy that is the basis of all things, you will then more clearly understand everything about your own experience and the experiences of those around you."

This caused me to think about resistors that are used in electronics. I found a webpage, explainthatstuff.com and a page on their site about resistors. Here's a bit that I pulled from that source:

"Electricity flows through a material carried by electrons, tiny charged particles inside atoms. Broadly speaking, materials that conduct electricity well are ones that allow electrons to flow freely through them. . . If a material has a high resistance, it means electricity will struggle to get through it. The more the electricity has to struggle, the more energy is wasted."

When we have a high resistance--in fact, any resistance inside, the energy cannot fully flow. The force of it is diminished to one degree or another. If the resistance is small, it is minimally diminished, and if the resistance is large, the flow is cut dramatically. So if I think about this as Life Energy, and the resistance I have accumulated over many years of stuffing things, I can see how illnesses, even major illnesses, along with all manner of malformed manifestations can come about. You could think of it as plaque in a blood vessel to the heart building up blocking the flow of life giving blood.

I knew there was resistance within me, but I didn't realize how big it was until the meditation allowed me to feel it.

Seeking to know more about the resistance within me, I sat down and wrote out some questions. I wasn't thinking only of me, but of anyone who might have resistance they may not be aware of. One of my favorite chapters in Tony Robbin's great book, Awaken the Giant Within, is Questions Are the Answer.

The first question I wrote on the page was this: What is causing tension, stress, resistance in your (my) life? What are you (am I) holding on to? I added a directional message after that question by saying, you'll know what those are when you close your eyes, sit quietly, and think about them one at a time. Feel your stomach and the muscles in your body, your jaw, your breathing. You can feel the tension in the tightening of your muscles. Then imagine letting go of the 'problem.' Relax your muscles on purpose. Feel the relief. Take note, and move on to the next one.

Question two:
What are you willing to let go of that you've been holding on to? 

Question three:
Why are you holding on to this? 

Question four:
Is this 'thing' attached to other things that you're holding on to? 

Question five:
What do you imagine would happen if you just let go of it? 

Question six:
What's the worst thing that could happen? Is it that bad? 

Question seven:
What's the best thing that could happen? What is good about that? 

Much of the time, we are all letting information stick inside of us. Rather than it coming and going as a flow, we begin to associate with the information, to play around with it, take it to heart (literally), and hold it inside. Over time, and with similar repetitive actions, layer upon layer of resistance build. It's imperceivable that this is happening in the beginning, and then after so much build up, it has a way of interrupting us. Call it a wake-up call, and some calls cannot be ignored any longer.

This subject could easily become several books, and you might be asking, what's inspirational about this? To me it is inspirational because I become more and more clear about how I get in my own way. I am not intending on blocking myself, but layer by layer, it is building into a blockage. There are ways to unblock it, and that is inspiring. One can be as simple as asking questions about what I am holding on to, and holding on is resistance. I've got that rope in my hands and I'm holding on, pulling against the opponent, which is also me.

Understanding how resistance works by relating it to how resistance works in other ways, such as electronics, helps me to understand how it works inside my mind and my body. I have become so aware of how my body feels when I think about things now. Just a moment ago as I was thinking of the word resistance, I could feel my legs become tense. As well, the value of awareness that there is something going on and then asking questions of myself to help clarify what it might be that I am holding on to will lead me out of this and allow me to renew the inflow and outflow of Energy more fully through me.


Becoming Unstuck By Wanting To Flow. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of some of that resistance to your joy. Everyone has some, and periodic release is in order.

Daily Inspiration 3-18-18

Question: 

Which one do you like better? 

Answer: 

Do I have to? 

-- Terry Minion 

[Classic post from 12-9-16]

The quote above was a thought that landed in my brain a few days ago and I had to write it down. It seems that we are supposed to always know which we like better when we are presented with a selection of some kind. So, I thought, what if I like them all? What if I see value across the board? What if the fact that they are different from one another doesn't mean that one is better, or even preferred?

This post from Seth Godin's blog landed in my inbox yesterday:

He says that there are "Two kinds of winning. Some can only win when others lose. Others seek to win by helping others succeed. One of these approaches scales far better than the other."

My favorite perspective on this I learned from one of my early mentors, Jim Rohn. He said, "There are two ways to have the tallest building. Tear everyone else's down, or build your own." He mentioned in one seminar that when the destroyer comes around, he says, "I heard about you!" Of course, pushing against him or the idea of people trying to destroy, tear apart, try to steal your clients by pointing out the faults, and more is counterproductive in every case. Besides, are taller buildings better?

I like how Alan Cohen says to act: "Control what you can, but flow with what you can't." I can only control what I think and what I do, but I cannot control how other people think and act. And, one thing that I have learned is that there is no need to join them, no matter what they think they could do to me.

I had a couple of attackers in the last few days, and my first reaction was who do they think they are? It's bullshit, I say. It's all bullshit. (I love that word, and even put it in a song one time on an album I recorded). Well you know, that is how reactions are and that is why it is called a reaction because there isn't much thinking going on, but a whole bunch of defensive ego in charge (another way to see resistance). So, I don't respond yet. I have to gain some more loving perspective.

First, I lay down the rope. Then, I pick it up. Then, I lay it down, and now it is on the ground. I breathe deeply. I realize that this is just someone who is inexperienced and thinks that 1+1 is 2 when it is really 3. I will respond today with a clear head and a loving perspective. The more I get attached to something, including a client, the more trouble I will be in. I just let go of any ill feelings. It's all okay.

I realize that if they think they can steal a client, so be it. If the client will choose them instead of us, then so be it. I love my clients, but I am unafraid. Is one company better than the other? Does it need to be? It's a strong belief in lack that causes someone to tear the other down to get what they want, and I believe in abundance. There's plenty to go around. There's enough for everyone.

I love Alan Cohen's phrase to "control what you can, but flow with what you can't." As much as I control, I will serve and as much as I cannot, I will flow with that river because swimming against the current takes too dang much energy, and you can never ever stop and smell the roses right outside the door.


Winning Is Fun, But It Does Not Require Losers. We All Choose Our Perspectives. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving yourself. You are enough. You are magic. You are worthy. You are loved. Yes, you are.

Daily Inspiration 3-17-18

"I know what I have given you. . . 

I do not know what you have received." 

-- Antonio Porchia 

[Classic post from 12-8-16]

That is, until you tell me in your own words, or show me with your own actions.


It's Always A Challenge To Achieve True Communication. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by communicating your joy. It's not up to you to worry if others receive it though. Just let it fly.

Daily Inspiration 3-16-18

"There is no more courageous act 

than to speak the truth with love." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 12-7-16]

Yesterday afternoon, I witnessed a sad event. There were four young boys playing basketball across the street with one of those portable basketball hoop posts out on the curb. I was relaxing in my carport writing some thoughts. I heard the usual yelling with the game going on, the ball bouncing on the pavement. I couldn't see them all or the hoop from my angle. Then I hear, "get outta here you stupid faggot! Then one of them threw the basketball at him and hit him in the back. The victim's hand immediately went to his back as I'm certain it hurt, or at the very least was stinging. The ball bounced off, and it was thrown again hitting him in the butt this time. The kid was the only one I could see from where I was sitting. He picked up his scooter that he was holding on to and began walking home around the corner.

I couldn't help myself. I got up and walked out to the sidewalk, I wanted to comfort that kid a bit, but he was already down the street. I walked out to the three remaining kids, and I told them, "that was so sad what you did to the other kid. It was just plain sad. There is no need to treat people that way." They took pause if only for a moment and then went back to what they were doing, but I know they heard me, and I know they knew exactly what I meant. I wasn't angry. I was saddened by how cruel kids can be to one another, and I could relate because I had things like that happen to me as a kid. I know how it feels, and it feels so crappy, and you just want to cry, but you're too big to cry now, so you suck it up. But I was crying inside for that kid. I had compassion for him.

This event reminded me of how cruel and harmful we can often be to each other. It could be a boss to and employee, an employee to another employee, an impatient and overloaded mother, a stressed-out father, the bullies at school, or in the neighborhood, the bored and tired cashier at the tax department window that I watched yesterday impatient with a man who was from another country and his English and his responses were a bit slow.

It's easy to justify our position because the other is being an idiot, brain-dead, irritating, and a hundred more, all from our own perspective, of course. Compassion is out the window, and even the most basic kindness is missing from the attempted composure as a servant. All this because we are only thinking of ourselves and everyone else is a downer because they are not acting as perfectly as we would like them to.

You might be going along seemingly fine and then for some inexplicable reason, they turn on you and attack, like yesterday when they are all together having fun, and then they turn on one of their own. Although I couldn't see the others when it happened, I'm certain that only one threw the ball, and the other two were either offering mental and verbal support, as a fellow attacker or attempting to stay in the group out of self-preservation. One of them left shortly after the incident, so I think my little talk hit home with at least one.

So, today is the anniversary of the day that lives in infamy, December 7th. I didn't plan this tie-in, but it does tie in. We attack each other and support each other in the attack, for who knows how many reasons, and all of them good, and some of them perfect, and yet it is still the kids on the street, only with much bigger ammunition.

If those three kids were to put themselves into the shoes of the kid that they attacked, there could be some understanding, but that is not the way the world at large works. We justify whatever we need to carry out whatever we think needs to be done.

Consider the quote above. What would it have been like if the kid that was feeling the need to attack, stopped the game for a few moments, gathered together as a group, and expressed verbally without weapons, how he felt about him at this time and why. It requires courage to set aside the ego, seek a compassionate stance and speak the truth about how we feel and why. This applies to any and all relationships within ourselves and with other people. It requires a willingness to be vulnerable, which is one of the best ways to demonstrate courage.

The older and hopefully wiser I get, the more I see a need for us to have more courage. More courage about ourselves, and more courage about how we can deal with others, get what we want, and have them get what they want too. We think we are so separate from one another, and yet inside, we are all walking wounded in some way. We all want to be treated with dignity and respect. We all want to give and receive love. We just are not very courageous sometimes.

We can't get this from our government, or from anywhere else outside of ourselves. We can follow the lead of the pack, or we can choose to be courageous instead. This is the meaning of courage for me. It takes no courage to attack. It takes courage to speak our truth to one another in love so that they receive it in the best possible way. We need understanding. We all need respect and dignity. We all need love and care. And, we can all use more courage.


I Wish For You Some Extra Courage Today. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving yourself enough to love others.

Daily Inspiration 3-15-18

"Let me never fall 

into the vulgar mistake 

of dreaming that I am persecuted 

whenever I am contradicted." 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson 

[Classic post from 12-6-16]

What would our world be like if we all said what was on our mind and heard what others said about us from their mind, and it was all accepted and presented in the best possible perspective? Wouldn't that be interesting? Perhaps fascinating is a better word.

It seems, at least from my own perspective, that it is far easier for me to criticize others than it is to receive criticism. I know what I like and I can easily discern what I don't like, and speaking it isn't so far from thinking it, yet at least 95% of the time--okay, maybe 85% of the time, I keep it to myself for fear of serving the other what they might consider poison. Even though it is the truth. But, I have learned that truth is a relative term. It's supposed to be solid and real, but it's not.

Seth Godin in one of his recent blog posts said it nicely:

"The other person is always right. Always right about feelings. About the day he just experienced. About the fears (appropriate and ill-founded) in his life. About the narrative going on, unspoken, in his head. About what he likes and what he dislikes. You'll need to travel to this place of 'right' before you have any chance at all of actual communication." 

Of course, what he didn't say is that they are us, as we are them. Yet, realizing this can open our mind to consider the other point of view, and perhaps even understand more of their reasoning and perspective. Maybe it will give us pause for just long enough to feel for them before we express our own feelings.

It is always up to us whether we will speak from our mind with our past experiences, our ego with its self-preservation perspective, or our heart. As we express through our mouth the love that is in our heart, we will always speak the real truth, and as this is received by us in this same intention, we feel the real truth. And both are under our full control.


Communication Is Always Enhanced As Our Intention Is Always Love.

Spread Some Joy Today--by speaking the truth of your heart.

Daily Inspiration 3-14-18

"Dogs do not know it is Monday. 

To them, it is only today. 

It is only now." 

-- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 12-5-16]

One of the most notorious acts a human being can do is to label everything. And, yet, we do, don't we? One of the side effects of labeling is association. Now that there is a label, we can freely associate this label with anything we choose. How we associate with this label determines how we will feel about it.


Guess Who Gets To Choose? 

Spread Some Joy Today--That might change things!

Daily Inspiration 3-13-18

"Does it really matter?" 

-- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 12-4-16]

What a great question, and with minor phrasing changes can even be a guide to peace, harmony, and love.

This is the so-called 'Holiday Season,' with only 27 days remaining. There's a lot to do, a lot going on including travel, seeing people you haven't seen in a long time and such. You have plenty of experience at this, and yet stuff happens, tempers are activated sometimes, and there is also a good deal of love and refreshment, including perhaps some time off of work, and changes in our physical environment.

When those situations that don't feel very good come up, Alan's question is a perfect perspective tool. Does it really matter? Does this thing that is bothering me really matter? In the scheme of my life, does this really matter? What about this thing is causing me to feel upset? Does that really matter?

Some might seek direction from their religious faith by wondering, what would Jesus do? What would Mohammed do? What would Buddha do? And, my personal favorite: What would Love do?

Yesterday, I wrote about all the stuff that we get upset about is just information. It isn't even real when you look at it from this perspective. In seeing it from this perspective, it is so much easier to see how pretty much all mental wounds are actually self-inflicted. Maybe we just get upset because we feel that we are expected to be upset in this situation. But, truly, we get to choose a response or even no response to any and all information that comes and goes. Of course, coming and going is the good flow, and having it get stuck within us is a whole different story.

Does any of it really matter? Is being upset worth the trouble? In my being upset, is it solving anything at all? Does anybody care if I'm upset?

So, now, in our world of duality, let's look at the positive spectrum. You're feeling good. Does it really matter? You're feeling love. Does it really matter? You're sharing your joy with all those around you. Does it really matter? You're in love with life, loving yourself, loving all. Does it really matter? 


There's Only One Person Who Can Answer This Great Question. That Would Be YOU. 

Spread Some Joy Today--That is if it really matters.

Daily Inspiration 3-12-18

"Help me to be less fearful

of the measure of time, 

and more fully alive

in the time that simply is. 

Help me to live time, 

not just to simply use it; 

to breathe it in, and return it 

in acts of love and presence." 

-- Avis Crowe 

[Classic post from 12-3-16]

What I have learned about life is that it is much more a matter of letting go than in gathering. There is so much melodrama all around us in this world, and even forgetting about the massive amount of outside information, there is as much melodrama within our own thoughts and feelings.

There are hundreds, even thousands of methodologies to try to make sense of it, deal with it, overcome it, and I haven't found any of that stuff that really works as much as letting go. I used to call it not plugging in, and now I call it dropping the rope. In either case, I am releasing the resistance I get from participating in the melodrama of life.

In the medical and psychological world, resistance is more often called stress, and they have hundreds of ways to treat stress, and relieving stress requires none of that. It simply requires letting go. Lay the tug-o-war rope down. Step away. Turn away. Let it go.

We get so uptight about information. Truly. The majority of what we get upset about is simply information. It's funny to think about it that way, and yet, that is what it is.

If we thought of the drama in our mind and out in the world for that matter as if it is information on a long digital reader board like in New York City, we can watch it moving on by even as we are reading it, and then it is gone and more information is coming and going every second of every day. We can just watch it come and go without plugging into it, giving it any energy or attention. Or, we can get entangled in what it means and get very upset about it as we choose. It's all just information.

You got fired. That's just information. What will you do with that information? It can be a problem, a disaster, or it can be a blessing, even the most joyous day of your life. Most joyous day? Absolutely! I know that from my own personal experience. Your spouse wants a divorce. That's just information. What will you do with that information? You can see that as death or a rebirth, or anywhere in between. It doesn't matter what it is, it is just information, and we can treat it that way, watching it, or we can be so involved that we don't know which way is up.

What I have learned from all my experience is to let it go--to let it come and let it go on by. Trying to stop it from coming in is pointless. It will get in. The key is not to worry or stress about defense, or offense, but to take a different approach by rising above it and realizing that this is not me, that these problems only exist in my mind, and that I am not even my mind, but that which is the observer of my mind--that which is my consciousness or awareness.

Once I get to this point of view, I can easily enough allow the drama to come and go without resisting it, engaging with it, or justifying it. As I watch it come and allow it to continue on its path, I am free of the drama. I am free of the turmoil. I am free of the problem. I am free.


Oh, That's Interesting. . . Hmmm, That's Nice. Wow! Look At That Drama! 

Spread Some Joy Today--just for the change of it.

Daily Inspiration 3-11-18

"I wonder if fears really go away, 

or if they just lose their power over us."

-- Veronica Roth 

[Classic post from 12-2-16]

Another quote by Audre Lorde shares a similar thought: "When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." 

Does fear ever go away completely? How could it? It is part of the duality of the lives that we live. It is always there. Of course, it is the same with freedom at the other end of the emotional scale. When I am depressed and feeling powerless, fearful, and in despair, does joy, love, empowerment, and appreciation go away? No. They are all still where they were.

So what changes then? It is one word: focus. What I am giving my attention to, my energy to, what I am focusing on. As well, this applies to all those different levels of emotion in between the top and bottom. We are somewhere on that scale at all times, perhaps even changing positions quite frequently, but they all remain in their good and not so good feeling places, available to us anytime we choose to change our attention.

As Audre Lorde said so well, as I focus on my strength and accept my power rather than giving it away in fear, it doesn't even matter that fear is on the same scale. It is insignificant as I focus on what feels empowering.

Have you ever thought how often you might give your power away? What is it to give our power away? We give our power away when we allow others outside of ourselves to convince us of a different reality than we desire, and in our lack of knowledge, self-worthiness, or any number of other similar factors, we feel powerlessness, and perhaps even escape into depression or despair--or maybe even not that far down the scale to the bottom--it might be worry, or anger, or overwhelment.

It could have come from a doctor's diagnosis, a lawyer, a bill collector, government official, or any other so-called authority. In all cases though, we are giving away our own power, and accepting theirs over us.

I believe that we have the ultimate authority within us and that by going within, coming into alignment with our internal Source of all Life, we can reclaim our own power.

I'll end this post with a slightly different perspective on not giving our power away, and is one of the most powerfully stated and empowering quotes I've ever read by Marianne Williamson, from her ground-breaking book, A Return To Love, which I've taken the liberty of presenting in this way:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. 

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. 

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves, 

"Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" 

Actually, who are you not to be? 

You are a child of God. 

Your playing small does not serve the world. 

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won't feel insecure around you. 

We are all meant to shine, as children do. 

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. 

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. 

And as we let our own light shine, 

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 

As we are liberated from our own fear, 

our presence automatically liberates others." 

I Am As Powerful As I Allow My Alignment With The Ultimate Power Within. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by rejoicing in your own power of focus.

Daily Inspiration 3-10-18

"We are all at once

both composition and a composer. 

We have the ability 

not only to compose the future 

of our own lives, 

but to help compose the future 

of everyone around us 

and the communities in which we live." 

-- Maya Angelou 

[Classic post from 12-1-16]

In the last few days, I have experienced two people telling me how much something I did or said to them long ago meant to them, and how they became more as a result. What's also interesting is that I wouldn't have remembered these things until they told them to me.

Of course, we know that our lives affect more than our own life, don't we? And, I think that most of us would hope that we are doing that in a positive way; albeit, we may know that our influence can also cause pain and distress, even without our realizing what we are doing.

I think the reality is that as we live, as we work, and as we relate to other people, it is impossible not to be an influence. And, a great question might be, how am I influencing others or my environment?

In these two cases, as far as I was concerned, these acts and words spoken were out of love and kindness. We would have no idea that it might affect them 20 or 30 years into the future, yet it easily can. And, it need not be something that stands out to us, yet it can seem magnanimous to them.

Who knows how a simple kindness we offer can affect another person's life? Who knows how a loving act can affect another person's outlook on themselves in self-esteem or even self-love?

I believe that we have the capacity and power to direct our own lives as we will choose. Knowledge can help us understand how this works and may even enhance the process, but we all have the capacity and power at all times. In other words, we create our lives consciously or unconsciously. It is happening regardless. At the same time, we are affecting others as we make our own choices, and as we interact with them.

It makes me think of that phrase about doctors that was inspired by Hippocrates to do no harm.


Seems Like Great Advice For All Of Our Lives. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Yes! Let's do that today. No ill will. No harm. No nasty looks. No sighs of disgust. Just joy. Simply joy. Exquisitely joy.

Daily Inspiration 3-9-18

"Nostalgia is a file 

that removes the rough edges 

from the good old days." 

-- Doug Larson 

"Remembrance of things past 

is not necessarily the remembrance 

of things as they were." 

-- Marcel Proust 

[Classic post from 11-27-16]

I was watching a TEDed video by Clay Routledge, titled, Why Do We Feel Nostalgia? He said that nostalgia used to be considered a debilitating disease. It was named in 1688, and until around 1850 or so it was treated as a disease in some interesting ways.

Nostalgia is often associated with the idea of the 'good old days.' Remembering fondly something from the past and wanting to be there again, and so we are feeling that place now as we spend time in the past feeling.

I spent several hours on YouTube yesterday afternoon watching many of the Kennedy Center honors of famous musicians and so enjoying the musical tributes given them by other famous musicians. I think I went through at least a half of a box of tissues and felt emotionally drained when I stopped. And, obviously, I absolutely adored watching them with the volume up trying to see through my teary eyes of joy. I think my favorite was Steven Tyler leading a medley of Beatles hits from the White Album as an offering to the honoree, Paul McCartney. Number two was Heart doing Stairway To Heaven for Led Zeppelin. They were both spectacular.

This caused me to remember musicians and groups that I've experienced in person over the years like, Elvis, Boz Scaggs, Rick Nelson, The Eagles, Tommy Emmanuel, Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Neil Diamond, and more. I remembered one of the earliest when I was invited to a senior prom by a girlfriend who lived in Tiburon, now a very high-end area across the bay from San Francisco. Their prom was held in San Francisco and they had three groups playing, all of them along one wall, taking turns. This was 1968, and there was Tower of Power, Sons of Champlin, and Vince Guaraldi. Wow. I was blown away. Our proms had Ralph Rawson and his orchestra. . . so sad. I went to five junior and senior proms, and four of them had Ralph Rawson.

As I sat down trying to remember all the artists I've experienced in person, I found some really hard to remember, and I'm sure I haven't recalled them all. Then I thought about what I was doing and started laughing, and though I was thinking of something else, I decided to write about this mind wandering through the somewhat cloudy waters of nostalgia. Then I thought, what makes something memorable? I answered because I'm the only one nearby, that what makes something memorable is that it is something that is incredibly easy to remember.

Then, I thought, duh! You can see the depth of my analytical mind. This came up because I was putting in some mental labor trying to remember more of the artists that were not memorable. One of those was Donny & Marie Osmond. I had sort of forgotten that show for the most part, although they put on a heck of a show once I remembered, and yet some of the artists or groups came to mind in a heartbeat. Interesting how memorable my memory is.


Is It Real? Or, Is It Memorex? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting your emotions run freely for a while. No-stalgia, Yes-talgia, what-eva.