Daily Inspiration 4-30-18

"Outside of a dog, 

a book is man's best friend.

Of course, inside of a dog, 

it's too dark to read."

-- Groucho Marx

"A person without a sense of humor 

is like a wagon without springs--

jolted by every pebble in the road."

-- Henry Ward Beecher

"Humor is perhaps a sense 

of intellectual perspective:

an awareness that some things 

are really important, others not;

and that the two kinds 

are most oddly jumbled in everyday affairs."

-- Christopher Morley

[Classic post from 2-28-10]

There is absolutely nothing so grand as laughter. Sometimes I laugh so hard that I lose my breath. I want to laugh more like that. I try to find laughter in every day.

If you want to know the healing power of laughter, read Norman Cousin's famous book, Anatomy of an Illness. There are many who have used laughter to help them to wellness. It can be such a serious world. Taking it less seriously is healthy!

When I really want to laugh a lot and hard, I pick up my copy of Jay Leno's Headlines, Book I, II & III in one volume. You can buy it very inexpensively online. It is hilarious every time I read it. What's cool is that you can open it anywhere and start there. It is funny from start to finish. The ISBN number is 0-517-08238-1 to make it easy to find.

Usually, I watch movies that I know are hilarious for me. Movies like Evan Almighty! with Steve Carell and Be Cool with John Travolta. I laugh out loud and quite often through both of them. I have a long list of movies that lift my spirits and cause laughter. Another is Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais. I highly recommend finding the ones that really crack you up and buying them so you can watch them whenever you feel a bit short on laughter.

Another place I go to often is YouTube and Stupid Videos.com. It never ceases to amaze me the crazy things people do and the fact that they do it in front of a movie camera and then posts it for the world to see, and I thank them for it.

I remember watching the first VHS video I ever rented back when video rental stores didn't sell videos but only rented them. It was the movie Arthur with Dudley Moore. He was sitting in the back of his limo and he just started laughing aloud and said, "sometimes I just think funny thoughts!" Me too. I don't usually laugh aloud about that, but laugh inside anyway.

There is nothing so sweet and refreshing as laughter. Enjoy it daily!


I Laugh Often and Daily. The More, The Merrier.

Spread Some Joy Today--Check out some new things to make you laugh today. Try Stupidvideos.com or YouTube, or watch a really funny movie tonight. It'll do you good.

Daily Inspiration 4-29-18

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just

to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own."

-- Benjamin Disraeli

[Classic post from 5-27-10]

In all of my life, there is nothing that is so sweet, that requires no recognition from others, is so energizing, uplifting and satisfying, and the potential longevity of forever, as helping someone else see more in themselves than they now see. In other words, uplifting people. The benefit to them is so obvious when I see it; however, most of my influence would most likely not be seen by me. Here's how Mother Teresa said that: "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

The ripple effect. I was watching a light rain shower the other day as the drops were hitting the water in our swimming pool. Each drop immediately caused a number of circular waves to expand outward from the drop. What was really interesting to watch was how the ripples touched each other and the other and the other and the other. It was a symphony of ripples that were all having a ripple effect on each other. I could see the movie of it and the music playing as the ripples moved about nonstop, yet it was a light enough shower with no wind so I could see every ripple clearly. It was a common event that I saw in a totally different way. It was sort of magical.

This is essentially how we can affect each other--even those whom we have never met, or may never meet directly. Or you might meet someone at a place far from home to find you've had an influence. A few months ago, I was in Dallas, Texas at a GM meeting and there were people from all over the country. I live in California. I sat down at a table to eat and introduced myself and said my company was Commercial Truck Success and someone I didn't know and have never met, said how much they enjoyed our bi-monthly IdeaLetter and they appreciated receiving it. I thought, wow, isn't that interesting. You just never know how what you do can have an effect on others.

The main way you have an effect is by being the person that you are. As you put more love in your heart, more gratitude and more joy, that has a great effect on those with whom you come in contact. The other way is in how you reach out to others and uplift them. This can be done in a thousand ways, from just being kind and saying hello to having the Nobel foundation.

Consider the ripple effect that you have in the pool of humanity. It is guaranteed that you have an effect. The question is what kind of effect? Just in case it is not the effect you would like, it is easy enough to change. Be a positive effect! Uplift others.

I'll Have A Ripple, Please--Effect, That Is. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--When you have a joyful thought, all you have to do is enjoy it and others will feel it from many miles away. Appreciation is the kindest ripple of all.

Daily Inspiration 4-28-18

"Take your life in your own hands, and what happens?

A terrible thing: no one to blame."

-- Erica Jong

"God has entrusted me with myself."

-- Epictetus

[Classic post from 7-31-10]

It may be a bit lonely at first, and fully empowering as I relax in the acceptance that I alone make decisions for me. Of course, that's when I'm in acceptance instead of when I'm in denial. I've been down that river. Didn't like it much, really. Today, I'm accepting the responsibility for me. And, today, I am thankful that God has entrusted me with myself. I am worthy and I accept.

It Ain't My Mother, Or My Brother, or The Other. It's Me.

Spread Some Joy Today--Take charge today and make a decision or two that will set you free today! The joy will be felt all around you.

Daily Inspiration 4-27-18

"You can't push on a rope."

-- Persian Proverb

"If someone throws you the ball,

you don't have to catch it."

-- Richard Carlson

[Classic post from 9-25-10]

This is another quote (pushing the rope) that I have grown so fond of. It indicates frustration or futility because as the visual image of the phrase suggests, you cannot push a rope as it is far too flexible; however, it can be pulled effectively.

The other quote indicates that we are each in control of what we choose to do and to whom and what we choose to respond to, or not respond to. I have used these in my life in several ways to help me make sense of things and to help change the way I feel. Where I used to feel guilty about not wanting to do something, now I don't feel that way. I don't have to catch the ball. I can choose to do that or not and the call is mine alone.

Where the rope is concerned, it has helped me to help others not swim upstream with me. For example, when I was a teenager, I took Judo lessons and in Judo, you learn how to dissipate your opponent's energy by going with it a short way, but at the same time giving it guidance to keep you from harm. It's about balance and energy flow. So, back to the point, if someone is trying to blame me for something, rather than argue my point of view, I accept their assessment--I accept blame. It really doesn't matter to me that I am blamed or not blamed, what matters is diffusing the energy so I can still feel good instead of fighting and feeling bad.

It is amazing how often I have used this technique about the rope. People can only have power over you if you allow it to be so. When you become a rope, they cannot push you, their energy is diffused and they have little or no power to harm you. Now, I am pleased to discuss an issue and share points of view, but arguments incite bad feelings and good conclusions are an extremely rare thing. Refuse to participate in the argument and progress can be made if both parties desire to progress.

You might want to try this approach. It has been extremely effective for me. Next time someone--a spouse, parent, boss, supervisor, whatever wants an argument, become a rope and see what happens. Use your mental Judo and diffuse their energy. It's really kind of fun. I enjoy it immensely!


I Am As Flexible As A Rope And A Willing Dissenter.

Spread Some Joy Today--When someone is yelling at you, there is no requirement that you feel bad. Feel as good as you want to feel. You are not the one out of control. Be a rope.

Daily Inspiration 4-26-18

"Any action that is taken 

from a place of lack 

is always counterproductive, 

and it always leads to more 

of a feeling of lack." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 8-20-15]

This morning I was thinking on the subject of money and looking at some of my life and my attitudes about money and my results in my relationship with money. I opened one of my top ten favorite books of all time, Money and the Law of Attraction by Esther & Jerry Hicks on the Teachings of Abraham. Only part of the book is about money, part is on careers and work, part is on health and well-being, and part is general knowledge. It is an absolute wealth of great and wise information and the most marked up and highlighted book I own. So, I thought I would share just a few tidbits from pages 64 and 65 that resonated with me.

"The things that you have and the things that you do are all meant to enhance your state of being. In other words, it's all about how you feel, and how you feel is all about coming into alignment with who-you-really-are. When you tend to your alignment first, then the things you gather and the actions you perform only enhance your good-feeling state of being. . . but if you do not find that vibrational balance first and attempt to make yourself feel better by bringing more things into your experience or participating in more activities in order to try to make yourself feel better, you just get further out of balance."

I grew up learning about credit and debt. Credit was good, and debt was bad. And, it took me pretty much a lifetime to realize that they are one and the same thing. Debt does not exist without credit and credit has no value without debt. Having credit allowed us to get things, but the debt often was a burden. They are neither good or bad and are actually neutral, and the only meaning given them is the meaning we apply individually and collectively. I chose to feel good about credit and bad about debt, yet that became a cycle that was not self-serving and didn't feel good really. I thought it would feel good, but it felt terrible most of the time.

They continue, "We are not guiding you away from accumulating things or from taking action. . . but when you try to move forward from an imbalanced footing, it is always uncomfortable. If you will begin by identifying how you want to feel, or be, and let your inspiration to accumulate or to do come from that centered place, then not only will you maintain your balance, but you will now enjoy the things you gather and the things that you do."

"Most people do most of their wanting from a place of lack. They want things, in many cases, simply because they do not have them, so the having of them does not really satisfy anything deep within them because there is always something else that they do not have. And so, it becomes a never-ending struggle to try to bring one more thing (one more thing that still will not be satisfying) into their experience: Because I don't have this, I want it. And they really think that getting it will fill the void. But that defies Law."

They say that the void they are feeling cannot be filled from a place of lack because that feeling is due to a "discord between their desires and their chronic habits of thought." I know in my own case, my habits of thought were in control most of the time.

Of course, they offer the solution as well: "Offering better-feeling thought, telling a different story, looking for positive aspects, Pivoting to the subject of what you really do want, looking for positive what-ifs--that is how you fill that void. And when you do, a most interesting thing will occur in your experience. The things you have wanted will begin to flood into your experience. But these things you have been wanting will flood in not to fill your void because that void no longer exists--they flow in because your void no longer exists."

What is different for me now? I no longer worship credit, nor despise debt. I'm much more neutral about them now. They don't drive my life anymore. I am focusing on feeling good, looking for positive aspects all around me, pivoting, telling myself a better story about myself and my life, learning what I really want instead of those thousands of things that I have bought that don't mean anything to me. Now I play with getting into alignment first and have let go of making decisions based on my feeling of lack. And, it feels really good. Really good. 


Thank Goodness That It Is Never Too Late To Learn. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of habits that no longer serve you.

Daily Inspiration 4-25-18

"Illness or pain

is just an extension of negative emotion. 

When you are no longer feeling any resistance to it, 

it's a non-issue." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks

[New post]

When I read the quote above, the first thing that popped into my mind was the title of The Beatles song, Let It Be. Then I immediately heard the song in my head.

Let's see if I remember the lyrics. . .

When I'm in my hour of darkness, that is when I need to sing: That's my final answer, let it be, let it be.

I used to feel so down and dreary, but now I have new eyes that see, me honor my emotion and let it be, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. I now focus on the light of God and all the rest, I let it be.

I know it was something like that. And, of course, it is true and we know that in our own lives that regardless of what is currently vying for our attention, we always have the choice to choose the direction and amplification of our gaze.

To lament the negative emotion we are feeling, however justified we think we are, it is always and only harming ourselves. Even as someone or some situation seemed to have been the culprit in our feeling of demise and anger, it is our resistance to it--our struggle with that emotional jungle gym that causes increased pain and illness.

I have found the intense value in honoring the feeling that I am having, and then to simply and exquisitely let it be. Like this: "Oh, that's interesting. Hmm. I think I would rather look over here at that warm bright light!" As I turn toward that light, I am released from the torture of my own resistance. I am back in alignment with All-That-Is, my True Self, my Inner Being, my God within.

Here's a final bit for the moment from Abraham, Esther Hicks gleaned from the DVD, New Thoughts. New Ideas:

"It's about alignment. When you have things on your mind, and you do, And when these things that are on your mind are on your mind because they are active in your vibration, and that's the way it works, then it serves you to find a way of making those things that are on your mind fit in a way that feels good to you. And, that is the only medicine."


I'm Laying Down The Rope Now, Let It Be, Let It Be.

Spread Some Joy Today--feeling your way to health and joy. Others will notice!

Daily Inspiration 4-24-18

"Inner peace is never more than one thought away.

-- Alan Cohen

[New post]

Of course, I totally agree with Alan Cohen and his quote above. There is one thing though. . . it sounds so easy. And, it is. And, it's not. It's easy when we haven't gotten into the feeling of the thought, and it's harder when we have. Once we start feeling it, we are quickly attracting more thoughts that create very similar feelings, and as we spend some time pouting about it, talking about it, even just thinking about it within our own head, we heap layers and layers of resistance on ourselves and simply changing a thought has such a hard time getting through those layers.

Many people probably think of me as someone who doesn't let things upset me very much and maybe even some think that I'm happy all the time. It's true that I no longer let things get going within me for very long as to cause me to feel down--or, at least, nowhere near how down I've been in the past. I do know what depression and powerlessness feels like because there were times in my life where I was like the dog getting wagged by the tail letting all manner of things within my mind and visually expressed outside of me seemed to lead my life from pain to feeling okay and it was all over the map of emotions so to speak.

Now that I am aware where the tail is and that I am in charge of my own tail, I never get that far down the emotional rollercoaster, but I do get down. It is more like an off feeling as in I'm not feeling good and I would rather feel good. The good news about this is that I know what to do now. Before, I would think about it and create more layers, and now, I do as Anthony Robbins taught me: Change my state. In other words, do something. Sometimes anything will do. Move. Go for a walk, a bike ride, a car ride with the windows down, or exercise, or almost any movement that gets me out of that state I was stuck in.

Sometimes going to sleep helps. It's too early to go to bed normally, but that is the tail wagging the dog again. Who cares? I need rest. I need to change my state. I need to get back to feeling better, feeling better about myself, and feeling better about living.

I got that way today and I immediately recognized the symptoms and turned on the Blue Ray Player and inserted a movie that causes me to laugh hysterically out loud every single time I watch it and it is inspiring at the same time. That movie is my top go-to movie: Morning Glory with Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams, and Diane Keaton. The one in the cast that gives me the most laughing though is an actor named Matt Malloy. So tonight, I watched this wonderful movie again and I was back where I wanted to be. I changed my state. I changed my thoughts. I let go of that resistance that was trying to pull me down.

Once I realize what is going on in my mind and in my thoughts and actions, I have control. The only question is, do I exercise it? That answer for me is, yes! I often call it practice. I honor how I'm feeling, and then I ask myself if this is how I want to feel and if it isn't, then I change my state. Sometimes it is a movie, other times I've gone to bed really early. Sometimes I go for a walk, or sometimes I call my business partner because he always makes me laugh. The bottom line is that I am wagging my own tail. On purpose.


How Do You Want To Feel? Wag Your Own Tail.

Spread Some Joy Today--Woof! Woof!

Daily Inspiration 4-23-18

"In each of us, there is a spark 

that can reverse the trends 

of violence and depression 

spiraling within us 

and in the world around us. 

By setting in motion 

the spiral of gratefulness 

we begin the journey 

toward peace and joy."

--Br. David Steindl-Rast

[New post]

We don't fix things by focusing on the things we perceive that need fixing. We fix things by focusing on the unbrokenness of things.

It doesn't matter what we are thinking and feeling right now. It is as temporary as anything in the world is temporary, and by the way, everything is temporary! All that matters is that we are okay with where we are. If we are, all is good, even if it may seem bad to someone else.

However, if we are not pleased with where we are, don't like the feeling of it and don't want this, as we realize that everything is temporary, this need not last any longer than right this moment. We have the power to change it in a heartbeat by changing our thoughts about it. This will change the feeling of it, and as we open our eyes, we will see the manifesting of the change in motion.

Here's some great wisdom from Abraham, Esther Hicks on this subject:

"There are many situations, attitudes, lifestyles-even food choices-that you do not want to participate with. Through the living of your life, you have identified many wanted and unwanted aspects, and it is important to remember that none of those unwanted things can jump into your experience, because there is no assertion in your attraction-based Universe. [Bold type is mine because this line jumps off the page toward me!]

The choices that others make cannot negatively impact your experience unless you include them in your experience through your attention to them. Things come to you only through your Vibrational invitation-and they remain only by your continuing attention to them.

Your Universe is based upon freedom. Freedom for everyone to choose what they give their attention to, and therefore what they choose to experience. And your interaction with one another provides a contrasting basis that assures continual expansion.

When others achieve Vibrational alignment with something they desire, they in no way deprive you of your desires. If your time-space reality has inspired a desire within you, it is certain that your desire can be fulfilled, for your Earth environment has the potential of satisfying the essence of all desires."


Whatever We Choose To Look At We Will See.

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing what causes joy within you, or as much as possible.

Daily Inspiration 4-22-18

"To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people

and affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty,

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Classic post from 6-19-11]

What do you say to that? This one went so easily into my top ten success quotes. I was introduced to this quote back in 1988. I left one dealership for another after a little over 5 years at this store and my sales staff made me a plaque and all their names were at the bottom. It is easily one of the best gifts I've ever received. Since then, I've never forgotten this important quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Seems like we can all fit in there somewhere. . . he didn't say we had to do it all--just some of it. I'll do the appreciate beauty one. . .


Success Is Getting Easier and Easier! Heck, All We Have To Do Is Laugh Often and Much. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--OK, I usually start bringing out Jingle Bells around the end of June, early July. It just feels good, you know?

Daily Inspiration 4-21-18

There's nothing quite like. . . 

[Classic post from 9-27-14]

. . . a warm rain and the way the air smells and feels afterward while clouds linger blocking parts of the sun, yet letting much of its light without the direct heat of the sun.

. . . an afternoon thunderstorm with some heavy rain, maybe even a bit of hail, a temporary stiff breeze and then the calm languishing of the afterward.

. . . the way a garden glistens and wallows after a delicious rain.

. . . swimming in the pool, then laying on the sunny concrete deck smelling the unmistakable scent of wet concrete on a warm day.

. . . the look on a friend or lovers face when you know they are loving you perfectly as you are, and you are feeling exactly the same.

. . . a full tank of gas, whether you decide to go anywhere or not. It is the comfort of knowing that you are ready at a moments notice.

. . . not needing to ask anyone permission for anything.

. . . doing anything your heart desires, including nothing at all.

. . . a personal physical pampering session that lingers for hours, perhaps even days.

. . . lots of leaves in the courtyard and loving how that looks and feels.

 . . . a perfectly tuned quality wind chime with the perfect volume dancing and singing.

. . . watching birds take a bath in the birdbath. Sometimes it is a group event.

. . . spending time with the Golden Gate Bridge from the Battery Spencer ridge just outside of the gate where you can see the whole of the San Francisco Bay Area.

. . . the road to Hana on Maui in a convertible, or any road on any island in Hawaii in a convertible for that matter. . .


There's Nothing Quite Like The Feeling Of Love And Appreciation In The Millions Of Ways It Is Available. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Make your list!

Daily Inspiration 4-20-18

"Just let it be

and figure it out along the way." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[New post]

It occurred to me a few minutes ago while standing outside feeling the sun and enjoying the clear blue sky and the nice breeze that so much of my learning that has been of value has come from my focus on how it feels to me. Does it resonate with me? Does it feel like I am in alignment? Does it feel like the truth to me?

No, it is not about right and wrong, and it isn't about anyone else's truth, or edicts of so-called truth regardless of the source. It is simply and completely a matter of whether it resonates or is in discordance with my inner knowing.

Making the conscious decision to follow my heart so to speak was the most powerful decision I have ever or could ever make. I just reread a delightful small quote by one of my favorite mentors, Alan Cohen. He said this: "You already know." It is so true.

I do know and I realize that I am in my knowing as that information resonates within me. This is also important because virtually everything is vibration, whether physical objects or thought, and as vibrations are in resonance, they are said to be in tune, and when they are not, they are out of tune. It has become very easy now for me to feel the difference. As I feel this, I am in my knowing.

There are many things that I was taught over the years, that I have found to be discordant. Many of them were hard for me to accept as truth even as I was instructed that they were. In other words, they were out of tune with my inner knowing. But, so much of this came from authority figures whether living or not and so I was trying to accept what they said I should believe, but inside I was struggling with it like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

I love this quote from Abraham, Esther Hicks that came this morning from a quote recorded in 1997: "Even though you would like your government to orchestrate the laws or God to orchestrate the law or somebody to give everybody one set of rules, it's not ever going to happen. [And here's my favorite part:] Each one of you, individually, are seeking your own vibrational balance, and when you find it, then you will welcome all kinds of different beliefs, because you will never fear that the belief will take you someplace that you don't want to be." 

There was a good part of my recent journey where I have, to say it kindly, have felt shortchanged by what I was taught and by the teachers involved in the teaching of it, and so I thought I had to focus on letting go of all of that. But, what I learned is that this is not the least bit necessary, and the quote above that I just left explains how that can be.

As we decide to come into our own knowing by feeling the resonance or discordance of something, we are exercising our full power, which will lead us to focus on that resonance, and just let the discordance be. Just like the quote at the very beginning that says to "just let it be, and figure it out along the way." I am so thrilled with coming to this place of being in my knowing, feeling my own guidance within that to push against any manner of discordance is not only not necessary, it is not beneficial to me or anyone else.


I Am In My Own Authority. This Is A Power-Full Place To Be.

Spread Some Joy Today--as you come to realize your own inner knowing by accepting the power that we all have within us.

Daily Inspiration 4-19-18

"It is one thing to hear a concept

and feel the resonance of it when you hear it,

and it's another thing altogether

to practice it until you own it, to be it."

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[New post]

It is so easy and goes down so smoothly to read or hear about unconditional love and feel good about the idea of that, and yet, it is a whole other thing to actually practice it in our lives. We get it. The idea of it resonates with us because it is truly in alignment with our inner knowing, our God within. Actually living that is another thing altogether.

This is true with a lot of learning perhaps even the majority of the things that we learn in concept, speak of, write of. So many things we can discuss in a lot of detail, but when it comes to actually living it, well, we become forgetful.

Abraham, Esther Hicks is famous for saying, "words do not teach. It is experience that teaches." Of course, that is true. And so, I continue to choose to engage in practice so that it becomes my experience. Victor Hugo is famous for saying, "There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." And, as powerful as that is, it is anemic in comparison to executing that idea through action and thereby becoming experience. We learn by doing more than we learn by thinking or receiving information.

Anyone who has read these Daily Inspirations for any length of time knows that I write about love more than anything else and though I write of it that often, I am more famous for practicing it. I learn about love by loving. I learn about unconditional love by loving without condition. I don't simply share platitudes, but ideas and thoughts that when they become active in our lives change our lives for the better.

This is where practice comes in. With our historical perspective, and seeing popular movies, video games, television shows, and watching people in real life around us, it is easy to see the need for practice and it is easy to see that there isn't much going on in the way of practice but a continuing repetition of the past, adjusted perhaps, but not really different. Jim Rohn is famous for saying, "for things to change, you must change." I prefer to put that in the first person and say, for things to change, I must change, and change will require practice, especially considering my habitual patterns from history and viewing the history in action that I see all around me.

It is said that practice makes perfect and that is a great truism, yet practice is simply turning an idea into action. As we look around, we can see the manifestation of ideas turned into action and much of that action is based on ideas that were meant to control us and not serve us. The idea of right and wrong, good and bad, sinful and saintly, falling in and out of love, and more. It can be quite a challenge to find a movie that is not about killing or falling in and out of love, broken relationships, greed, revenge, etc. Uplifting movies is not the norm, but what if they were? Loving without condition is not even seen in movies generally, but what if it was?

Yesterday I mentioned a quote from the Paul Selig books that we are not independent of our environment. What that means to me is that whatever environment that I want, I must choose it. I must practice it. If I want to see more unconditional love in the world, then I must learn to practice loving without condition. Mahatma Gandhi is famous for saying, "you must be the change you wish to see in the world." Again, to put it in the first person and accept the idea, I must be the change I wish to see in the world. Accepting the idea is fine, but for the change to come about, I must practice being the change.


I Am Not Independent Of My Environment. I Am My Environment.

Spread Some Joy Today--by deciding to practice what you want to see in the world.

Daily Inspiration 4-18-18

"Those who cannot remember the past

are condemned to repeat it." 

-- George Santayana 

[New post]

I'm back.

Along with some of the biggest changes in my life, in the last year, I have been studying every day five texts by Paul Selig. I've gone through them about six times because I wanted to really not only understand the wisdom contained in the texts but to adapt it in my life. Even with a year of these posts I could not share all that I have learned, but some subjects stand apart from the rest, and the one I want to share this morning is about our history, or more accurately, our habitual historical perspective which rules our lives so much, and we are not really aware of it being that way.

Let's take the quote above, which is often misquoted as, "those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." The truth is that we repeat it all the time. It has become what we do without any effort or realization that this is the case.

But, before I go on, I must refute the part about being condemned (or doomed, if you prefer) to repeat it. This is ALWAYS our choice, though we claim to want change. It does not happen to us, it is chosen by us in many, many ways that on the surface do not seem like a choice at all.

The one most powerful thing that I have learned from these five texts is that we are always choosing and more often than not, we are choosing the past.

I was in the grocery store the other day and saw a magazine in the rack by the checkout that showed a robotic man-like figure in protective gear holding a rifle that looked like some kind of laser weapon and as I recall the title was war in 2030, or it might have been the weapons of war in 2030. In either case, this is pure history. It is a historical perspective. And many, if not most of us, buy into the idea that war will always be happening somewhere in this crazy world and that we need to stay ahead in the technological expansion of the tools of war. It is complete and utter silliness to me, and so I laughed at the magazine cover as I went about my day.

In these texts, this idea of history and living in a historical perspective and continuing to choose based on our history is the most discussed thing. The first couple of times through the material I was tired of hearing about it, but then I started to truly realize that this was so important for me to get that any repetition only reinforced the idea that I wasn't yet accepting it. My eyes have been opened and I can now see how this is happening in my own life and that of others and the world we live in.

Can we change? Absolutely. Will we change is a better question. But, before we can change, we must understand what and how we are choosing along with the fact that we are always choosing, and have always chosen.

One of the best quotes from these texts is something I've shared before and will again because it is so powerful: "You are not independent of your environment." But, we think we are. We think that the world rules and that our goal is to comply and adjust as necessary to get what we want, and we are often thwarted at that by circumstance or by what we consider to be other people's decisions, heredity, class stature, etcetera. This is not true. We certainly can operate this way and I have for most of my life, but that is not the truth, it is merely an interpretation that I make from a historical perspective.

I will continue more tomorrow and beyond, but I want to end this post with a wonderful quote by Benjamin Franklin from his autobiography: "So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."


Here's A Perfect Historical Perspective To (Re-)Consider: "Peace Is The Only Battle Worth Waging." -- Albert Camus

Spread Some Joy Today--as you see that you are not independent of your environment and that you are in charge of it.

Daily Inspiration 4-17-18

Life's Biggest Lessons 

"The biggest lesson, in a sense I got, 

is the power of unconditional love. 

I think there is no power on earth, 

like unconditional love." 

-- Warren Buffett 

[Classic post from 6-29-15]

What does unconditional love mean? It means simply this: To love. Regardless. Absolutely. To fully accept.

Can we worry about someone and love them? Those two things vibrate at such different frequencies that it is like trying to get the music on 101.9 FM by tuning to 740 AM. Not even close.

Can we be disappointed in them and love them? Be angry at them and love them? Feel jealousy about them and love them? Feel grief and love them? Feel discouragement and love them? Be frustrated with them and love them? Have impatience or irritation and love them?

Not even.

In really loving them, this emotion is at the top of the scale, and fear, grief, and despair are at the complete opposite end of that scale. They are completely and totally incompatible.

If we truly love someone, it would be without any condition and without any negative emotion. We just love them. We want the best for them. We want them to love others the way we love them. We cannot be loving and feeling negative emotion at the same time. It cannot be. The frequencies don't match.

Can we allow those we love to make mistakes? Especially those situations that we know to be mistakes? Yes. Imagine your own life without so-called mistakes. We learn by thinking and doing. Besides, in unconditional love, it isn't really a mistake, it is a purely a result.

Another word for unconditional love is freedom. By loving you are giving freedom. You know what freedom really feels like. You want that for others too.

Another word for unconditional love is empowerment. By loving you are empowering others. You know how being empowered feels. You want that for others too.

Another word for unconditional love is joy. You know what joy feels like. You want that for others too.

Another word for unconditional love is appreciation. You know what it feels like to appreciate and to be appreciated. You want that for others too.


There Is Nothing So Empowering, Uplifting, Freeing, Joyful, And Appreciative As Unconditional Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Hmmm. . . that would be done mainly by loving without condition. . .

Daily Inspiration 4-16-18

"In the face of overwhelming odds, 

I'm left with only one option. 

I'm going to have to science the shit out of this." 

-- Mark Watney character 

played by Matt Damon 

in the movie, The Martian 

[Classic post from 3-16-16]

The power of focus. Mark Watney had to focus or die. He had to decide to live or let go and die. Those are some very basic, and also profound choices to have to make. Most of us don't deal with issues that much in our face in our entire lives, and yet, at the same time, we do make those choices almost every day.

We carry around information and emotional baggage that often disrupts our focus. These things are real to us. Abraham, Esther Hicks offers an overview by saying, "People often believe that because something happened, and because it is a fact or true, that it should be focused upon, and therefore kept vibrationally active. And so, many people keep many things active that do not serve them." 

Some of these are big events that often carry political feelings, such as, Remember the Alamo!, Remember Pearl Harbor!, Remember the Holocaust!, Remember the Black Plague!. Remember the Potato Famine!, Remember this war and that war, 911 and the towers, and the list goes on and on. If one is involved in any of these big things, they remember them with even more focus.

Yet, there are millions more small things that are real, that happened, that we have a tendency to focus on. Some of these might be what Jane said about me to a friend who told me about it and I am so upset by that. It could be that loan we made to a friend or relative that they haven't ever repaid and yet we see them driving a brand new car. Or, maybe it is the guy that got the promotion that I should have had. I have been there longer and I am more qualified, but I'm a woman. Or it could be as simple as forgetting a birthday, missing a play or recital with our child in it because he works all the time, or where's the love that we used to share? And this list is endless.

Abraham, Esther Hicks shares this insight: "In the same way that sculptors mold clay into the creation that pleases them, you create by molding Energy. You mold it through your power of focus--by thinking about things, remembering things, and imagining things. You focus the Energy when you speak, when you write, when you listen, when you are silent, when you remember, and when you imagine--you focus it through the projection of thought." 

It is easy to think that the tail wags the dog as in the remembering of things that don't serve us, but what is really the reality is that we are the dog and we are wagging our own tail. We are in charge of that. We are in charge of our focus. We are in charge of what we focus on. We are in charge of how we feel about things based on what our thoughts are about them. We are in total charge, just as Mark Watney was in charge, alone on the planet Mars facing odds that were overwhelming. He chose to change his focus, mold Energy, and figure things out.

My new sign on my wall helps me remember. It says: Is My Focus On What I Want? I get to choose every minute of every day. Focusing on what I do not want can sometimes be enticing. It may even draw a crowd to chant me on, but is it serving me? Hmmmm. I'll have to science the shit out of that. . .


Is Your Focus On What You Want? Is It Serving You? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by making up your own mind to what you choose to focus on. Let me encourage you to choose joy. Just for a while. I'm convinced that after you feel that for a minute or two, you will be hooked. It's addictive!

Daily Inspiration 4-15-18

"He is so above me 

in his bright radiance 

and collateral light."

-- William Shakespeare 

All's Well That Ends Well, Act 1, Scene 1 

[Classic post from 3-19-16]

Yesterday I mentioned that I was thinking about William Shakespeare and words. It is said that he coined about 1,700 words and word combinations that we use today. Probably we don't use them often. One of them in the quote above is the word radiance. Some others, to name but a few, are amazement, cold-blooded, lackluster, majestic, madcap, zany, tranquil, puppy dog, Olympian, quarrelsome, eventful, moonbeam, hostile, laughable, jaded.

This all came back to my mind, along with Tony Robbin's great book, Awaken the Giant Within, where my favorite chapter is The Vocabulary of Ultimate Success, because I love the word delightful, and I was thinking that I use it too often. I think many of us have our favorite words and as a result have a tendency to use them more often.

Many of the words that I used in the past were more negative, or at least with bland emotional power. It was Tony Robbins in his book that led me on a new path of expressive vocabulary. He has some charts in the book to help encourage a different choice of words or phrases from disempowered to empowered, many of them intended to change our state as he calls it, or to change our vibration and thereby our point of attraction as Abraham might express it. Some are just plain fun and have a tendency to make me laugh when I say it. Here are some examples from Awaken the Giant Within:

Go from I'm feeling hurt to I'm feeling dinged, from feeling fear to feeling wonderment, from I'm feeling pissed off to I'm feeling a little tinkled, from feeling exhausted to just a little droopy, from feeling overwhelmed to in demand, from feeling terrible to kind of different, from sick to it feels like a cleansing, from I'm stressed to I'm feeling energized. I think you'll agree that using the new words really does change the whole feeling.

Words have a lot of power in our lives. 

So, back to delightful. I used to use a Thesaurus more in earlier times. Now, I'm getting to know it all over again to help me search for more words that help me expand my delight into new forms of expression. And, thanks to Thesaurus.com, I am delighted to share these new delights: alluring, engaging, refreshing, darling, heavenly, luscious, rapturous, ravishing, yummy, lush, scrumptious, cheery, thrilling, ambrosial, lovely, fascinating (another of my favorite words), ravishing.

I can turn my delight into relish (another favorite word), ecstasy, mirth, joyance (oh, that's a good one!), enchantment, transport, glee, and joy. Or, how about extravagant, flamboyant, flashy, outrageous, fancy, and fantastic. Then there is exquisite, opulent, appetizing, juicy, succulent, sumptuous, mouth-watering, divine, adorable, delish, and savory.

The more we focus on these kinds of words, the more of the situations and views of all that is around us come to match them. Certainly, we can use many of these wonderful words to describe it after we've seen it, but I think you'll find that by simply making a list of words like this will conjure up images. I think this effort is one of life's little joys that increases the joy in that little life, to make it seem so much more distinctive and recklessly captivating. 


May Your Day Be Truly Engaging! 

Spread Some Joy Today--because a little cheeriness goes a long way.

Daily Inspiration 4-14-18

"If you prick us do we not bleed? 

If you tickle us do we not laugh? 

If you poison us do we not die? 

And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" 

-- William Shakespeare 

[Classic post from 3-18-16]

This morning, I was thinking about Shakespeare and words. It is said that he coined a lot of words that are in common use today. But, I'll leave that subject for tomorrow.

As I was looking at the quote above, I became fascinated by the incongruity of the last line, yet it does hold the sentiment that is so universal. The first three questions relate to autonomous bodily reactions to physical stimuli. The last is entirely an egotistical and angry response to an idea, a thing that is not physical at all, nor is it really caused by another, but within ourselves, of our own design.

Wars are made easy by this. Families and friends are ripped apart by this. Hatred is spread as if it now has a cause to grow by, to expand into. There are such words as the honor to defend, place to be demonstrated, emotions to be aroused. And yet, it is all in our minds. There is no harm done by another. No physical touch or entry into our protected space. No, it is strictly and completely our own thoughts fueled by our own ego into a physical reaction called revenge.

We have the choice. We always have the choice of what we will think about anything. Will we allow--and allow is the perfect word here--will we allow our thoughts to become anger, revenge? Or will we choose a different thought, and thereby a different response. Or, perhaps, no response at all, as if the cause for alarm did not ever exist.

When I finally learned that no one outside of myself can cause me to feel anything without my permission and participation, I realized that all the power is within me. I have the power to think what I will. I have the power to respond or not. I have control in this when I allow myself to have control. I am not my ego. My ego is a tool. I no longer want my ego making this kind of decision for me. As the chanting for the response grows, I can choose to turn and go a different direction or to even ignore.

I am aware of the context of this quote from The Merchant of Venice, Act 3, and yet, what may be considered normal in response, is not normal, but common, and it is common only in those who allow their ego to rule over their mind. We could then say, they are out of their minds.


Remember. You Get To Choose What You Will Think And How You Will Respond. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Can someone take away your joy? Only if you allow it.

Daily Inspiration 4-13-18

"The realest thing in our lives 

are the stories we invent. 

We live with these stories, 

we remind ourselves of them, 

we perfect them. 

And, happily, 

if you don't like the story 

you're telling yourself, 

you can change it." 

-- Seth Godin 

[Classic post from 2-22-16]

I am this way because. . .

My mother taught me to. . .

I was born that way. . .

I can't win for losing. . .

I take two steps forward and one back. . .

I believe. . .

I was brought up to believe. . . 

I was the eldest child. . . the middle child. . . the last child. . .

Whatever I do never seems to work out as planned. . .

I hate taking tests. . .

I hate those. . .

I think they should just. . .

I love. . . 

I love to. . . 

There is nothing quite like. . . 

Everyday is new. . . 

Today is another opportunity for me to. . . 

I love my life. 

I love my family. 

Everything is always working out for me. . . 

The best is yet to come. . . 

I am so grateful for. . . 

I am so lucky. . . 

Look at that sky! 

I'm in awe of. . . 

I'm in love with. . . 

There are so many beautiful, wonderful people in the world. . . 

My Point Of View IS My World. I Am What I Say I Am. I See What I Choose To See. I Feel What I Want To Feel. I Love To Choose Love. I AM Love. I AM Joy. I AM. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing on purpose.

Daily Inspiration 4-12-18

"I have a resistance to change in things

that I feel comfortable with and that I'm used to."

-- Dennis Quaid

"Men become accustomed to poison by degrees."

-- Victor Hugo

[Classic post from 10-28-11]

Maybe you can relate to this. . .

My computer was six or so years old and I use it almost every day--especially in the last few years running an Internet business--it gets a lot of use. My flat screen monitor was giving me fits and starts and I would turn it on just right and it would work great. Then it got slower and slower and finally, it didn't come on anymore. Monitors are so cheap now, what was I waiting for? Sure, we're a small business and we watch our expenses, but hanging on to stuff that isn't working doesn't make any good sense, right? I mean, most people would get that, I'm sure, but I was holding on. . .

I finally went out of dire necessity and bought a monitor. Just the basic one, of course.

Back to my computer. This thing is slow and getting slower. I don't play games or any of that, but I'm opening programs and uploading photos, video and all sorts of things we need in our business and it's going slower all the time. I sort of get used to it, know what I mean? So finally, it's lethargic, so I take it to the computer shop and they de-virus it and clean out my registries and all that geek stuff. It's better but very slow.

So, I talk to Comcast. They convince me of the virtue of Business Class and I go for it. They finally come and set it up, it's still so slow. Call the computer guy. There's a bus problem. (Truly I think it should go under the bus. . .). It gets last rights. I go buy a new computer, bigger, faster, better. It's hooked up and it is greased lightning! So fast I don't know how to act. It's awesome.

I could go on. . . Well, one more. . .

I have this chair I sit in. Nice chair, but easily 8 years old and not what it used to be. My partner prods me to buy a new one. He finds a deal and we buy it. I love it. What a difference! Who knew?

It seems that this happens a lot to me. I get used to poor performance. I get used to the keys sticking on certain letters so I learn to hit that letter harder. Little by little I get used to inferior products, worn out products, bad service, poor communication skills, being put on hold, people not calling you back, and the list could go on. I don't focus here, but it's here and I learn to accept and endure.

But I don't have to. . .

Those investments in the computer, monitor, keyboard, chair, new book, audio program, whatever, are investments in my growth, my better productivity, my sanity, my peace and my joy.


Oh, How Easily We Can Become Dull Blades When The Sharpener Is So Near.

Spread Some Joy Today--Just go get that thing or things that are going to put the fast back in speed. You'll notice the difference immediately and wonder what took you so long. . . or is that just me?

Daily Inspiration 4-11-18

"Don't use your words 

to describe the situation, 

use your words 

to change the situation." 

-- Joel Osteen 

[Classic post from 4-15-16]

Yesterday, I was listening to one of Joel Osteen's latest books, The Power of I Am, and two phrases fairly close together demanded my attention and I had to write them down. One is the quote above. He's saying not to speak about what is going on and how that is not to your liking, but instead, speak only to what you want, what is working, what is empowering within yourself.

The second quote I had to write down was when he added, "Don't take your problems to God. Take your praise to God." That is part of the same thing. How often we might talk about the problems in our life, the so-called reality of what is in front of us, praying to be loosed from them, all the while continuing to speak of them. He says, instead, "take your praise to God."

I've told this story two or three times but again reminded of how and when I started changing from complaining to God to praising God for virtually every thing. It was an old book my wife gave me that she thought I should read. What's really funny about that is that she had never read it, but somehow thought I should, and when I took what it said to heart, she resisted that change in me. The book was published in 1972 by Merlin Carothers, titled, Power In Praise-- How the Spiritual Dynamic of Praise Revolutionizes Lives. In that book, I learned to praise God for everything regardless of my opinion of it. It immediately changed my life.

Then somewhat later, I was introduced to Abraham, Esther Hicks, who gave me a whole new lease on life and even expanded on what I learned before that. Along the lines of the two quotes from Joel Osteen, consider these words from Abraham, Esther Hicks on the same subject: "You have the ability to direct your own thoughts; you have the option of observing things as they are, or of imagining them as you want them to be--and whichever option you choose, whether you are imagining or observing, is equally powerful. In every case, your thoughts produce a vibration within you that equals your point of attraction--and then, circumstances and events line up to match the vibrations that you have offered." 

In other words, we can look upon our problems, or we can imagine the way we want it to be, and the choice of that focus will ultimately determine our results. We can talk about our problems to God, to our friends, to our co-workers, to strangers, and all we have is more of our problems. Instead of unburdening ourselves, we are adding to it by continuing to address them.

Yet, when we let loose of our problems, find the things in our lives to praise--even to praise God for--more of those things will become real in our lives. And, learning from Merlin Carothers, even the act of changing to praising God for the problems, no matter what they are, revolutionizes our life. It certainly did my own.

In Abraham-speak, what we choose to focus on creates our point of attraction, attracting more of that. And they add that we will know our point of attraction by how we feel so that when we are feeling good, that is what we are attracting, and when we are feeling negative feelings, we attract more of that. Of course, that matches Joel and Merlin in that talking about our problems is never uplifting to ourselves, and praising God cannot help but be uplifting.


Counting The Blessings By Focusing On Them And Giving Thanks For Them, And All Things. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Joy is the result of praise. Praise is the ultimate result of joy. To praise is to be joyful. To be joyful is to praise.

Daily Inspiration 4-10-18

"And all things you ask 

in prayer, believing, 

you shall receive." 

-- Matthew 21:22, NAS 

[Classic post from 4-17-16]

It is said that if one is willing to work hard, one can have pretty much anything they want. If there is anything such as work to it, the work is believing in the desired outcome regardless of the current status.

I'm finishing up the last couple of chapters of Joel Osteen's wonderful audiobook, The Power of I Am, and another bit demanded my attention. It was this: He said, "You have to give God the permission to prosper you." I thought, Wow! Isn't that an interesting way to put it. And, as I considered this new attitude in words, I felt total agreement.

He continued, "You can't go around with a lack mentality, thinking, I'll just take the leftovers to show everyone how humble I am. After all, God wouldn't want me to have too much. That would be greedy. That would be selfish." He ends with, "that's going to keep you from an abundant life." 

Sometimes people think that so-called New Age writings, and The Bible are at odds, but this is often a fantasy, or adhering to only speaking in religious tones and phrases. Two days ago, my post contained quotes from Abraham, Esther Hicks, and Joel Osteen--even adding Merlin Carothers. That's quite a party, and yet they were in agreement. So, here again, is a prosperous bit from Abraham, Esther Hicks speaking of the same thing in slightly different words:

"Let's say you are $100,000 in debt and you want to have $100,000 in savings, instead. So there's a $200,000 gap between where you actually are and where you would like to be. It is not likely that that $200,000 is going to manifest in the form of dollars in your bank account today. But you could close the gap between the feeling of debt (fear, worry, anxiety) and the feeling of abundance (ease, freedom, happiness) today. You could accomplish that in five minutes. It is only vibrational gap that you have to close. And then those dollars must manifest. It is law!" 

Joel says, "You have to give God permission to prosper you." If you don't believe it can happen, that God has the power--even that you have the power--your desire for prosperity is only a fleeting wish, powerlessly floating in the air. Belief in being prosperous is giving God permission. It is not hard work. It is not physical, it is of the mind, our thoughts, our feelings--our vibration, our being. We know we have given permission or not by how we feel.

Abraham, Esther Hicks says the same thing. It is the vibration, being in alignment, matching our Inner Being's desires for us (God within). It is moving our thinking into alignment with our desires, and we know it by how we feel.

Belief is a thought. Belief is a feeling. Doubt is thought. Doubt is a feeling. Yet, these are two very different thoughts and very different feelings. They are ultimately two very different vibrations as the difference between 560 AM and 101.5 FM on the radio. Going to 560 AM and hoping to receive the message from 101.5 FM is the same as that fleeting wish, powerlessly floating in the air.

With or without any of the religious connotations, all of this is ancient wisdom. It's just that it is so easy to be distracted with all that goes on around us, leading us away from our desires, pointing us to what many say is reality; albeit, their reality. Our work is giving God permission, aligning with all that God wants for us, what we want for ourselves. Aligning is another word for believing. When we believe, we feel good, and when we doubt, we feel poorly. Want to feel better? Give God permission. Give yourself permission.


You'll Know It When You Feel It. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by believing in the power of your own joy to move mountains.

Daily Inspiration 4-9-18

"Is it partly cloudy

or partly sunny today?"

-- Inquiring minds need to know 

[Classic post from 4-18-16]

I've always enjoyed looking at basic weather forecasts. Sometimes it might say that it will be partly sunny, or it will be partly cloudy today. I always laughed at that because it seems like the same thing said in a different way. But, it never peaked my interest enough to determine if there is a difference and what it is.

Since we now live in a world of finding virtually any answer, and more often many answers to almost any question by typing the question into a browser window, I typed: What is the difference between partly cloudy and partly sunny? At the top of the search results on Google was a short paragraph from chicagoweathercenter.com:

"Technically partly sunny means more clouds than sun and partly cloudy means more sun than clouds, but for all intents and purposes the terms are interchangeable (except that partly sunny is strictly a daytime term)."

See, I just learned something I didn't know. I think we can type pretty much any question into Google or Bing or other search engine and find lots of answers. What an amazing time to be alive.

I was thinking what we used to do to find out things like this. I used to own a leather-bound set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I think I paid $3800 for it, along with a couple other sets of books in a "deal" at the county fair back in the late 1980's. Of course, I didn't really pay $3800. I paid about $105 per month.

Come to think of it, that's about what I pay for my iPhone each month today. And, my phone holds more information than all those volumes of that Encyclopedia Britannica--and it is easier to access information, including things like video, music, and other helpful things that were never in the encyclopedia. It would have been a challenge to look it up in the encyclopedia, I'm sure if it was even in there. And it certainly would have taken more than the .62 of a second that my Google search took.

It's interesting that all of us get to see the way things were, and the way things are and notice the difference. It could be said that an older person would notice a larger difference, but I'm not so sure. It just depends on what changes one is paying attention to.


It's Not Just A Brave New World. It's A Constantly Evolving Brave New World. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying your place in your world. It's yours.

Daily Inspiration 4-8-18

"I want to sing like the birds sing, 

not worrying about who hears 

or what they think." 

-- Rumi 

[Classic post from 4-19-16]

Some years back, I used to complain about mockingbirds and how noisy they were and how long and varied were their songs.

Now I try to listen to each different bird song in their repertoire, and stand amazed at their learned skill. Some of the calls they make are quite fascinating, and I wonder what bird song they have adopted.


Isn't It Interesting How Our Outlook Can Change So Much? Thank God They Didn't Change, And Thank God I Did. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by hearing joy with new ears.

Daily Inspiration 4-7-18

"A truly humble person 

sees the critical verbalization 

by another person 

as merely a statement 

of the other person's inner problems." 

-- David R. Hawkins 

[Classic post from 4-20-16]

It's so easy to get upset by what someone says to us verbally or in writing. It seems to be our initial reaction when we hear it or read it. Of course, even when we know that is not the real us, it is our ego, it requires practice to pause and respond rather than to immediately react--even if we were alone when we received the critique.

From David R. Hawkins' outstanding book, Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, here is the complete quote from which I gleaned the piece above:

"The truly humble cannot be humbled. They are immune to humiliation. They have nothing to defend. There is no vulnerability and, therefore, the truly humble do not experience critical attacks by others. Instead, a truly humble person sees the critical verbalization by another person as merely a statement of the other person's inner problems."

If I think about it, it seems completely unfair to automatically accept a critique as an attack on me. I could ask, "who are they to criticize me?" But, I know all too well that for me to criticize others has been such an easy thing to do. In fact, it would be an automatic immediate reaction when I see something that is outside of my core beliefs. Unless. . . I have practiced surrender to judgment. And, what an absolutely valuable, proactive, and character-building practice that is!

Once I have surrendered being judgmental of others, I must also include surrendering to being judgmental of myself, for it is in the judgment of myself, that the opinions of others and critiques gains traction.

Can this surrender really happen? Well, all I know so far is that understanding what is happening is most helpful, then practice is essential. My practice is helping to change me from a reactionary to an observer, but I have a lot more practice ahead. The good news is that I am totally aware of my ego and how it likes to rant and rave and control things, and the really good news is that I now know that I am not my ego and I am in total control when I decide to be.


Practice Makes Perfect? At Least, It Makes Better. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing love to rule in your life.

Daily Inspiration 4-6-18

"We can never judge the lives of others, 

because each person knows

only their own pain and renunciation. 

It's one thing to feel 

that you are on the right path, 

but it's another to think 

that yours is the only path." 

-- Paul Coelho 

[Classic post from 4-22-16]

I have found that this concept expressed in the above quote to be one of the hardest lessons for me to learn, but it resonates so clearly with me that I have now been practicing it for quite some time. And, I am in complete gratitude for the teachers who brought me the message and for the progress that I have made in practicing it my life. Prejudice is one of the most pervasive things in our world, and if we could just let go of that idea for a little while, we could see love instead, because there is truly only love when we uncover the prejudice.

Below is a perfect quote from Abraham, Esther Hicks expressing this in a way that helps me consider so much going on in the world. It reminds me of those beauty pageants where the girls all say they want world peace, but they don't really say what that is or what that means.

"World peace means one mindset big enough to make the decisions about what everybody else wants and the rest of the world conforming. That is the ultimate definition of world peace. You say, "Oh, let's get along!" And what each of you mean is, "You do what I want." A peaceful world means, "Everybody wanting what I want. Going along with what I want." And the only problem with that is: there are more than one of you, and you have endless desires that are born within you. The ultimate experience is everyone having their experience and launching their individual rockets of desire, and the Universe yielding to all of them simultaneously. And everybody not worrying about what anybody else created, and so, then allowing what they are wanting. What a world that is, when there are endless desirers--who are allowing the fulfillment of their own desires." 

We could also say that about the idea of World War, or world domination. It's such a big subject, and yet, it is as small as ourselves with one other person. The idea is the same, but the scale is so different. And yet, it isn't. It is still as small as our individual thoughts of what we think about how others should live.


Is It Possible To Love Unconditionally? I Say, "Yes!" It Is Certainly Worthy Of Practice. For My Own Sake At The Very Least. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding love in everything in your life. It is always there.