Daily Inspiration 6-30-18

"If you fight for your limitations

you get to keep them. . . 

I promise you, 

you lift your head up, 

take a breath, 

there's a lot of great possibilities out there." 

 -- Billy McMahon, played by Vince Vaughn 

in the movie, The Internship 

[Classic post from 3-3-14]

Though I have found many lessons and inspiration from this movie, this will be the last post in this short series. And, I'll end it on the inspirational note of a promising future.

Billy and the team are talking with a pizza shop owner who is total old-school in his thinking and claiming he's happy with what he has, yet it is true that what he's been doing is just the same while the world is changing all around him. His son sees that and is happy to have the help of trying to change his dad's mind about the potential greater future of their enterprise. Billy is giving his sale-closing line in the quote above.

I've always had this analogy in my head about keeping your eyes on the horizon instead of the cracks in the sidewalk. Must have come from my home-made skateboarding days. And, it makes sense in that when we are watching the cracks in the sidewalk; e.g., watching for danger, guarding the gate, concerned about too many things, we are more likely to have a tumble, falter, fail, and have troubles. As we bring our heads up and focus on the larger picture so that we can see better where we are going, a lot of the details have a tendency to take care of themselves. This is true in our businesses, our jobs, and our personal lives.

When we spell out the things that we are allowing to hold us back, no matter how "legitimate" they are based on popular consumption or mass communications, we will often find ourselves fighting for our limitations. To me, this is, again, so much like watching the cracks in the sidewalk. As we lift our heads, and our hearts in focusing on the larger picture, so many more possibilities can be seen and considered. Not only that, but in doing so, we open ourselves up to change, when before we could not consider that option.


Change Is Not To Be Feared. It Is To Be Embraced. Life IS Change. Change Is Living. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by being the change you seek in yourself.

Daily Inspiration 6-29-18

"For whatever it's worth, 

your imagination is so wild, 

reality's gonna be a breeze, 

if not a letdown." 

 -- Nick Campbell played by Owen Wilson 

in the movie, The Internship 

[Classic post from 3-2-14]

Nick said this quote above to Neha, the young female intern who talks and acts like she has done so much for her young age, yet she admits to Nick, "I've only read about this stuff, okay?" She said she talks a good game, but hasn't actually done anything. She's just imagined it. So Nick says, "For whatever it's worth, your imagination is so wild, reality's gonna be a breeze, if not a letdown."

Consider this statement by Abraham and Esther Hicks from a workshop recorded in Houston, Texas: "We're going to give you a very powerful statement: Everything that you will someday live, in terms of life experience--and by some day, we mean as soon as right now, tomorrow, the next day, or someday--anything that you will someday live, you have first imagined. Because nothing will manifest in your experience without the imagination process happening first."

Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

I like what Pablo Picasso said about imagination: "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun"

Considering how stuck Nick and Billy seemed to be in their lifestyles and struggles, it was their ability and willingness to imagine that allowed them to inspire their much younger team and at the same time, become leaders instead of just doers. They understood that they could choose, then imagine it into reality.


Just Imagine It--Whatever "It" Is To You. Give It The Energy It Deserves.

Spread Some Joy Today--Inspire someone.

Daily Inspiration 6-28-18

"The future doesn't know later." 

 -- Billy McMahon, played by Vince Vaughn 

in the movie, The Internship 

[Classic post from 3-1-14]

In the movie, The Internship, Billy, and his friend Nick have lost their jobs and Nick gets a lousy go-nowhere job while Billy is seeking a transformation instead of another dead-end job. Billy's trying to convince Nick to go with him to take a shot at an Internship at Google, so Billy says, "It's our future." Nick says he's got this job and it will have to wait, and Billy says this great line, "the future doesn't know later." Nick says, "the future is later--it's nothing but later." But, is it? Is it really?

I heard this saying about a salesman: "He had twenty years experience--one year, repeated twenty times." Not much of a future there, is there? For this person, the future is nothing but later. And, yet, it isn't, is it?

The future is actually now because what is being done now is carving out the future, dictating the future, creating the future. Even in the case of the 20-year salesman, the future is being created, or maybe a better way to say it, in this case, is recreating the present over and over again. Or, doing nothing to grow.

Living in the now is perfect. I agree with that totally. The more I live in the present now, the better I feel. The better I feel, the better my life works. The better my now is, or today is, the better my future is because I am creating it right now today.


The Future Doesn't Know Later. Indeed. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by doing what pleases you. If it pleases you, it cannot fail to please others.

Daily Inspiration 6-27-18

"You're too young 

to be so cynical." 

 -- Nick Campbell, played by Owen Wilson 

in the movie, The Internship 

[Classic post from 2-28-14]

Yeah! Cynicism should be an old-age disease, not available for young people, don't you think? Yet, maybe you've heard young people express this attitude in your presence. Truly, it isn't an age thing, but a choice in thinking--often a choice based on perceived reality all around them.

I am going to write several posts about the things that I have learned, or have been expressed so nicely by this wonderful movie called The Internship. As a sales manager for over 40 years, it is especially interesting and there are many lessons in this flick about sales, business, teams, psychology, turning things around and much more. So, I begin with this great comment from Nick.

It's easy to be cynical. It is encouraged all day every day by the media and the so-called reality all around us. I mean, the shit is hitting the fan and it is just a matter of how close you are to the fan, right? It's affecting everyone, right? It is the way it is, right? We got statistics to back it up, you know? You gotta pay attention to it and be real by living in the real world and none of that fantasy stuff, ya hear?

OK. That's a way. But, is it working for anyone? Probably not. It's not meant to. It's meant not to. It's like walking into a lighted room and turning on the dark switch.

In the case of the movie, a couple of older guys find a way to give some hope and a more positive outlook on the present and future which changes the results. Yet, it need not be older age, but there is value in looking for more hope; for looking for more love; for looking for a better answer; for looking for a way around or through. It has to start there. There must be at least an interest in considering something better. Cynicism is meant to be temporary, I think. Not permanent.


Hope Is A Universal Language. Reach Out. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Elvis Presley said it nicely: "When things go wrong, don't go with them."

Daily Inspiration 6-26-18

"Grace needs you 

as much as you need it." 

 -- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 2-26-14]

Isn't this an interesting concept? Grace needs you as much as you need Grace. I saw another quote from my favorite mentors of all my time, Abraham, and Esther Hicks: "You might say, "How do I know if I'm in a receiving mode or not?" And we say, you always feel good when you're in a receiving mode. When someone offers you a compliment, do you receive it, or do you sort of just shrug it off? There's something about believing that you must justify your existence through your effort or through your perseverance, through your struggle. And many of you just have not practiced the receiving mode."

Practicing the receiving mode. . . There is a lot said in that short phrase. How many of us practice that? I know more of us practice giving compliments more than accepting them, giving things rather than receiving them, and so on. I know I was brought up with the noble notion that to give is better than to receive. In my lifetime-learned wisdom, I now see them as equal rather than one better or more important than another. Grace needs you as much as you need it. Receiving needs you as much as you need it. Giving needs you as much as you need it.


Something To Ponder Sincerely. . . 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing joy to be a part of your life. I know spreading it is good, but receiving is just as good. I think it is even best, to begin with, that aspect.

Daily Inspiration 6-25-18

"Remain established in your calm center, 

and everything will take care of itself 

in miraculous ways far more wonderful 

than you could manipulate." 

 -- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 2-27-14]

People can be worried all around you. They can speculate on all the things that could go wrong. They can try to get an "agreement rant" going counting on like-minded people to bolster their position. Yet, if you as only one, will remain in your natural calm center, everything will take care of itself and may even surprise in delight at how that may come to fruition.

It is an amazing thing to operate from this calm center place. It is magical. It feels good inside and it feels good on the outside. It is power and authority without the ego labeling. It is peace and prosperity for everything is already done.

One last thing on this. It is not serious, or stubborn. It is joyful inside and out. The joy comes mainly, I think, as a result of the peaceful feeling surrounding it. It is pure and very interesting enjoyment.


Relax. Let Go. Smile. Reassure Others. It's All Okay. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving yourself wherever you find yourself. Enjoy it.

Daily Inspiration 6-24-18

"If we counted our blessings 

instead of our money, 

we would all be rich." 

 -- Linda Poindexter 

[Classic post from 2-23-14]

Consider this quote from Alan Cohen: "To recognize that you are bigger than any label you have been given is one of the greatest insights of a lifetime." Money is one of those labels, and often we may give some of the labels in our lives far more importance than they really deserve.

He goes on to explain, "Take some time today to consider all of the limiting attributes you usually identify with: your name, age, address, job, income, house, friends, ethnic background, skin color, genetic makeup, religion, political views, and on and on." This is just a very basic list of which another hundred could be added.

How about adding some of these: creator, enjoyer, living-in-the-moment, grateful for all that comes however it comes, lover, encourager, uplifter, lifelong learner, compassionate, respectful, allower, and blessing counter. I like these much better myself.

Becoming a blessing counter is a great place to start. Indeed, as we count our blessings, we are all rich. What a great thing to count, should we need to count anything at all.


One, Two, Three, Six, Ten, Twenty, Forty-Five. . . 

Spread Some Joy Today--Can you think of a better way to expand your own joy than focusing on all of your many blessings? Once there, sharing is totally natural.

Daily Inspiration 6-23-18

"You just never know who in the crowd, 

standing beside you in line 

or passing you in the street, 

might be raised in spirit, 

or even lifted from despair, 

by the kindness in your glance 

or the comfort of your smile." 

 "But they may never forget." 

 -- The Universe, a.k.a., Mike Dooley 

[Classic post from 2-21-14]

I have subscribed to Notes from the Universe from tut.com for a long time now, and some of these are so timely and I save the ones that sparkle in my spirit so that I can share its message with a mix of my own. This one is perfect to share today.

I would add to this quote by my friend and mentor, Mike Dooley, that not just a glance or a smile, and not just in person, but via phone, text, email, or any other communication that can touch another is equally good.

I have learned that when I think I want to call someone and give them a bit of love, I need to do it right now. You just never know what they are going through at that moment and the fact that they are on your mind is an indication to reach out. And, that door swings both ways.

I had two special phone calls today. One from a client and friend and the other from my business partner. They each made my day. The first was early this morning. I was up at 5:30am and this call came at 7:00am. He said he wanted to hear my voice and get charged up, but little did he know that the opposite happened. I was charged, he was charged up and it only cost us both a few minutes of fun talking. Thanks, Gary!

Then, later I was driving to take something to a client about 70 miles away and my business partner called me to say how much he enjoyed an email I sent to another client telling them what we've done so far. I don't think he has ever done that before, but this time he was so upbeat and complimentary and I felt like I was driving on air. Thanks, Ryan!

Many times I reach out and touch someone, smile at someone, engage in light conversation with a stranger and who the heck knows what comes of that, but the lesson is how we feel not them. If it makes us feel good--really good, there is a very good possibility that they may feel even better.

I love how Mike Dooley says that they may be "raised in spirit, or even lifted from despair." People deal with all sorts of issues. Some of them may weigh heavily on them, and the light touch we may give them, or the encouraging words, loving smile might just take them away from their troubles for even a brief moment. Maybe just long enough to remember that whatever they are dealing with is far larger in their mind than it is in reality.


Reach Out And Touch Someone! You Never Know Who You May Be An Uplifter To. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by paying attention to your inner voice suggesting to you people to share your joy with--or even allow them to give you joy! It's a two-way street.

Daily Inspiration 6-22-18

"The problem with taking offense 

is that it's really hard 

 to figure out 

what to do with it

after you're done using it. 

 Better to just leave it

on the table

and walk away. 

Umbrage untaken 

quietly disappears." 

 -- Seth Godin 

[Classic post from 2-22-14]

I saw this quote from Seth Godin this morning and I was amazed at how it hit me. I absolutely agree and I particularly love the line, ". . . what to do with it after you're done using it." We all must realize how true that is. We do use it. We take offense and then we make a case about it. We use it. We make it more than it could have ever been. But, after making such a big deal out of it, what do we do with it then? Does it just go away? Or does it linger? Does it become part of our psyche? Or, are we able to let loose of it completely after we've done the deed with it?

Based on my own experience, it never seems to go away entirely until and if we come to the point that we stop taking offense. When we allow instead, we have hope.

Besides, the whole idea of things that off-end-us means that we let a thought take control of our lives. It takes on a power of its own. It gets us off-kilter--off our mark. It takes us off where we want to be.

Maybe it's time to find things that on-end-us. Things that inspire, enlighten, enliven us. Perhaps it's time to let go of the idea of what might be wrong and consider all that is right. Maybe it's time to align with the flow of the river of life rather than swim upstream against the current.


Or Not. . . 

Spread Some Joy Today--because, after all, it is a personal choice. Why in the world would anyone choose not joy? Only those who know no joy. Share it so they know it.

Daily Inspiration 6-21-18

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks." 

 -- Common phrase 

[Classic post from 2-20-14]

I was talking with a sales manager friend today about a sales team that has some old dogs on it. In fact, they are past typical retirement age. We were talking about training and the company was hoping to get them to become motivated.

I started my sales management career with old dogs. In fact, I had just turned 25, and the youngest on my sales staff was 36 and the oldest was 64. Then along the way on my travels, I found other old dogs on the staff that I inherited, and I learned a lot about old dogs, motivation, and performance.

Here are some things I've learned about this subject:

Old dogs can learn new tricks. The key ingredient here is not capability or capacity, but desire. If they want to learn new tricks, they will learn as fast as any other age, although on certain things such as current technology they may be behind the curve a bit, but they will make up for it in the long run.

Trying to motivate old dogs or anyone else for that matter, is a waste of valuable time and energy. The only motivation that holds any value besides a short burst from fear is self-motivation. Motivation comes from within, not from without. I learned this valuable lesson early in my sales management career, and though I may have had temporary amnesia from time to time, I came to my senses soon enough. Any motivation that will be helpful will come from desire, not fear.

Old dogs will test the new guy in charge until they arrive at mutual respect and trust. I got better with the old dogs when I didn't try to force feed them but developed a respect for the value they brought to the table, and the experience compounded over time.

Old dogs can be your best advocate. In time and with some of the above, old dogs can be your best advocate and help bring along others to the overall goal.

The new broom sweeps the cleanest. I never much liked this phrase which I learned from the wise old first dealer I worked for, but there is more than some truth to the phrase. There comes a time when if we are to move ahead at a reasonable pace, we need to lighten our load from the dead weight of people who refuse or are otherwise unwilling to change.

Holding on to people who are dragging the rest of the team or the organization down is counterproductive. Sure, they make some sales and have a bunch of accounts, but everyone is dying because there are so few new ones. Growth is life. Life is growth. We, our team, or our organization is growing or it is not. When it is not, this is a clue. Perhaps it is time for a change. I have been here and once we finally decide to pull the trigger, there seems to be a release of energy that feeds everyone positively, including the one who is leaving, because it is not doing them any good staying around either.


Some Old Dogs Never Quit Growing Until They Fall Over Dead. That's My Personal Plan!

Spread Some Joy Today--Are you growing? Are you having more joy in your life than before? It's okay to ask for more! There is a never-ending supply.

Daily Inspiration 6-20-18

"You are the only one 

 who creates in your experience--no one else. 

Everything that comes to you

comes by the power of your thought. 

If there are changes you would like to make,

 it will be of great value 

to begin telling a different story-- 

not only about your body, 

 but about all subjects 

 that have been troubling to you." 

 -- Abraham & Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 2-4-14]

This post is about self-talk mainly and how the only way to make changes you would like to make is to tell a different story in your head and to others too. It is so a part of becoming a grateful person. I'll give you a couple examples.

Since my wife died just less than 6 months ago, I've been living a lot of memories in my head and in my sight too. I've gone through thousands of photographs, chosen a strong number of them and have pasted them on my cabinets in my office. It has been all part of coming to terms with the last few years of our lives together. I remember similar situations in the past whenever there was a change from something that has been for a good period of time.

There was a tendency for me to think of things I should have or could have done to make things better. What could I have done differently that would have changed things? You probably know the drill. It's not feeling sorry for myself, but thinking that somehow I wasn't enough.

So, I began telling a different story on purpose. I began thinking how good a husband and provider I was. I began thinking about all the good things I did; the positive things; the important things. I began talking this out as if I were talking to her about how I did this and that and how much this meant to me and that and so on. It was perfect and it turned me around toward such gratitude--not only more gratitude for her and all that she brought to the relationship but gratitude for all that I did as well. When I might think of something she was upset, angry or unhappy with about me or something I did or failed to do, I would mentally speak back of what I did do and that I did what I knew and was capable of and so on. In other words, I rejected the idea that I had failed in any way.

It's about experience. We can't grow forward ten years and then take that wisdom back in time with us to make better decisions. It was what it was. If we are doing the best we can with what we have to work with, then that is exactly what it was. What I would do today is of zero importance. It is not possible to merge the two, but what I can do is praise her for her choices and me for mine. I can see the love that was the foundation under it all. And, last, I am the only one in charge of me and I can choose to change, grow, become a grateful person even if she may have chosen otherwise.

These kinds of things happen not just with losses of loved ones but in business with old bosses, old friends that may not be in favor today and so on.

The tendency was for me to find myself blameless by affixing blame on my boss, my wife or some other person. My self-talk was always justifying what I did or didn't do and how the other parties were the ones to blame for anything off kilter. Now, my self-talk is finding what they did right and well and how much I appreciated them for all that they brought, and equally important, that I appreciated myself in the same way. I began seeing scenarios working perfectly instead of previously being problems or ugly situations. As I focused on appreciation and gratitude, all the other things faded away.

In this process, I have found more love and respect and admiration for Nancy and for the other important people in my life. I have at the same time found love enough for me to be enough.


Gratitude Changes Everything. It May Require Practice. No. It Does Require Practice. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by changing your self-talk to appreciate yourself and all those on your path.

Daily Inspiration 6-19-18

"I have never let my schooling 

interfere with my education." 

 -- Mark Twain 

[Classic post from 2-9-14]

And, neither have I.


Here's To All The Life-Long Learners Out There! 

Spread Some Joy Today--Have a wonderful time today. On purpose!

Daily Inspiration 6-18-18

"Wherever you are, is just fine. . . 

You can get to wherever you want to be

from wherever you are. . . 

It's time to stop measuring where you are

in relationship to where anybody else is. 

The only factor that has anything to do with you 

is where you are in relationship

with where you want to be." 

 -- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 1-12-14]

After I read this again today, it struck me that I have arrived at being okay with where I am and who I am. In looking back, I can see that I was always not enough. I didn't measure up to the people I put on pedestals. Oh, I was successful enough I guess, but never made it the way I wanted to--or thought I wanted to. It was always going to be better tomorrow somehow. It was in the future.

Now in reading this again, it is some of the best advice I can think of. Fully accepting where we are and realizing that wherever we want to go we can get there from here is profound and peaceful. It is not giving up on goals or desires. Frankly, it has been my own personal experience that in lightening up, the desires show themselves more clearly and I can achieve them with far less stress than I used to put myself and my family through.

Another way to say it is to make peace with where we are. Allow it to be. Allow ourselves to taste it right now, and feel the presence of that peace that comes from a certain contentment, however temporary.

One of the best ways to say it is that we are enough. We have enough. We are enough. Having more is okay. Yet, right now it's all good.


The Horizon Is Much Brighter From Here. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Love yourself, what you have, and where you are in your life travels.

Daily Inspiration 6-17-18

"It makes no sense to worry about 

 things you have no control over

because there's nothing you can do about them, 

and why worry about things you do control? 

The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized." 

 -- Wayne Dyer 

[Classic post from 1-22-14]

Here's another quote to go along nicely with this great quote from Wayne Dyer by Esther Hicks and Abraham: "Hard work is not the path to Well-Being. Feeling good is the path to Well-Being. You don't create through action; you create through vibration. And then, your vibration calls action from you."

I think that many times we worry because we feel that we should be doing something and though we cannot actually do something at the moment, we worry about it which indicates we are giving it importance and that helps us to feel as if we actually are doing something about the problem. But the reality is often that we only perpetuate the problem and/or increase the size or importance of it in our lives.

In considering this topic, I have gone backward in time to many of the times I was worrying--even worrying with great stress, and I cannot think of one single time where the act of worrying did anything at all to improve the situation.

The hard work of worrying (and we all must know it is hard work), is not the path to Well-Being or the solution even. Feeling good is the path. From that vantage point, any action we are inspired to take will work perfectly.


By Choosing Good Feeling Thoughts, We Clear The Path To Our Well-Being. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Let go of the rope. Love yourself enough to do so.

Daily Inspiration 6-16-18

"Complacency accepts what's 

 not working as a fact of life. 

Contentment accepts what is 

working as your natural condition." 

 -- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 1-23-14]

Alan has a great way to compare and explain complacency and the alternative of contentment. I had never thought about it quite like this, but I just love how he states that "complacency accepts what's not working as a fact of life." I had always thought about complacency as not giving a damn, giving up on it, resigning the effort and so on, but acceptance was not a word I would have thought of. Yet, this is a perfect way to see what complacency is and how insidious it can be.

At the same time, I love how he reflects on "contentment accepts what IS working as your natural condition." I've always thought of contentment as in being with peace, accepting what is as being good, even considering I might have thought otherwise in a different time and space. Yet, accepting what is working is a wonderful way to see contentment, and to accept it as a natural condition of my life is peace in and of itself.

Maybe this quote just caught me on a strange day, or maybe you may have had similar thoughts to mine and now are changed as I am.


There Are So Many Ways To Say A Thing, And Sometimes It Jumps Out And Sometimes I'm Asleep. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeking things to appreciate all around you. There are so many--too many to number.

Daily Inspiration 6-15-18

"Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, 

we think all is lost, but it's only here 

that the new and the good begins." 

 -- Leo Tolstoy 

[Classic post from 1-27-14]

Getting us off our habitual paths can come in a wide variety of methods. It might be losing a job, a loved one, an expected promotion, or other loss. It might come from a decision to change. Perhaps it might even be being sick and tired of something or some situation, or maybe even as some have said, sick and tired of being sick and tired. In all of these cases and thousands more, one thing is universal, and that is that a change has taken place. It might be a change of attitude, or an emotional response, or something physical. In all cases, there seems to be a decision and change, even when those things seem to have been done for us.

I have had so many of these situations over the years and some were rather traumatic, to say the least, but one thing has changed most recently in me about these, and that is that I do my best to remember to welcome them. I don't always remember right away. Sometimes it might take me a short bit of time to remember, but I am remembering and accepting these events as if I chose them on purpose.

I can state that this attitude is much preferred in how I feel about change. I now try to assume that everything is working out perfectly even when it doesn't appear that I chose it on purpose.

Sometimes things seem to happen to us, but I have come to believe that this is just the way it is packaged. And, it really doesn't matter how it comes to us, it only matters how we respond to it. We ultimately have all the choice in this aspect.

Habit is comforting, and change is often unsettling, yet change is inevitable. Better to welcome it with open arms as if it is the flow of good to you than to struggle and question it. Learning to go with the flow is a process that carries huge benefit.


I May Not Always Be Ready (Or So It Seems), But, Now I Am Willing. It Is Infinitely More Fun Too. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Try to connect with someone you've been thinking of.

Daily Inspiration 6-14-18

"Never underestimate your power 

to change yourself; 

never overestimate your power 

to change others."

-- Wayne Dyer 

[Classic post from 8-28-14]

I was talking with someone on the phone today and we had a lot in common, and it was suggested that I might talk to a friend of his to share some of my philosophy and help convince them to change their ways.

It has taken me most of my life to finally figure out the fantasy in this scenario. I have learned after trying so hard and in so many ways that it is virtually impossible to change someone else to our way of thinking. . . unless. . . and this is a very big UNLESS, they are seeking that change for themselves. Generally what will happen without their seeking will be to cause the other to put their guard up, pick up the rope and fight against all foes. In other words, any attempt is more likely to cause a deepening of their current position rather than us thinking there will be some kind of conversion.

I have a lot of opinions as we all do. Yet on topics that are controversial no matter what country you're in, I keep it to myself unless, and only unless, I am asked specific questions demonstrating at least on the surface that that person is seeking. Then, I will share my point of view, otherwise, it will amount to nothing.

Somehow we think that in relationships, including marriage, that we need to think alike. That's garbage. Have things in common? That can be helpful, but believe all the same things? Garbage. It's even a waste of time to consider that fantasy. Knowing what I know now, I can see how one spouse may agree on the surface, and yet withhold the true feelings for the sake of superficial harmony. It's okay. It's better to accept that we can disagree and still live in harmony, because we can, and we must because no two of us will ever think exactly alike.

If you're trying to convince another, it is better to allow them to change themselves. Take your time. Let it be. It's okay. Even different religions can get along nicely while holding different views, yet allowing some similarities to bring us partially together. It is much more beneficial than thinking we may convert them without their full and complete permission and agreement.


We Have More Than Plenty To Focus On Just Dealing Effectively With Ourselves. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Bang a gong, get it on! Or, what the heck, just enjoy your day as fully as you can today. That's all that really matters.

Daily Inspiration 6-13-18

"What you get 

is what you choose to see." 

-- Albert K Strong 

[Classic post from 8-3-14]

The whole idea of right and wrong has created unlimited fantasies. It also seems that it is like human nature to focus on what is wrong in a misguided attempt to make it right somehow. Another fantasy. Carl Jung put it so well a long time ago when he said, "what you resist persists." The harder we push against something, the larger it becomes. The more we fight something, the stronger it becomes. There is no percentage of success in pushing against or fighting anything in the hopes of making it something we do want instead of something we don't want.

Fighting cancer is made to sound like a fight worth fighting, yet cancer is now one of the largest enterprises in the history of the world. Billions of dollars are involved. Wars have been fought since the dawn of time and somehow we fantasize that "right" won out over "wrong," or good over evil and so on. George Bernard Shaw put it well by saying, "war does not decide who is right but who is left." The war against drugs has actually increased drugs, rather than decreasing it. In fact, there are so many laws against things that have just made them more.

None of these attempted remedies work and will never work because they are pointed in the opposite direction. They are focused on what is not wanted instead of simply turning and focusing on what is wanted instead. Cancer is not cured by fighting it, promoting it, studying it. Cancer is cured by focusing on health, not the illness. We don't win wars by having bigger and better weapons of mass destruction. There are no winners in war. All are winners in peace.

The other thing to remember, or realize is that there are certain benefits to fighting against things. Most of those benefits are economically focused. If there were no benefits, there would be nothing to fight over.

In any case, it is never what is outside, but what is inside that counts. It doesn't matter what we may perceive others doing to us, or circumstances or things happening to us or catching or contracting this or that, and it doesn't matter who's fault it is because blame is also on the outside. What matters is only how we think about those things and then choose to believe or do by what we choose to focus on.

In my own life, like most others probably, I have found it so much easier to find fault, persecute and inflict who is wrong, speak about eradicating all the evils in the world, and generally becoming more aware and spreading awareness about things we don't really want. I've often grown weary of pushing against things and especially noticing what is not right, or not right yet. With this attitude, it seemed like it never would get right.

Now, I am turning. I have been playing with turning for some time now and have been practicing it, wanting it to become natural in me. It's not how I was taught, but it is what I have now learned, and it feels so much better. The value of my emotions is telling me in which direction I am focused. This helps me to realize I am in total control of my choices of focus. I am now regularly making better choices for me. I will let the rest of the world do as they please.


It's Not Hocus-Pocus. It's Focus-Focus. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by focusing on what you want rather than what you do not want.

Daily Inspiration 6-12-18

"Our emotions

don't tell us what to think. 

Our emotions

 tell us what we are thinking." 

 -- Albert K Strong 

[Classic post from 1-20-14]

I was getting my hair cut on Saturday, and the young receptionist was having a hard time. She was heartbroken because she and her boyfriend broke up. She's 18. She was crying in the other room and someone else was trying to console her. Of course, they all knew that she would get over it relatively soon because they've been there and experienced this and so know that another boyfriend will come along even better suited to her. Her life isn't really over, it is just beginning. I've been there many times myself even into adulthood.

There are many places in our lives where our emotions seem to take control of our thinking. I can make a long list of times in my life whether it was dealing with idiot bosses, evil associates, the sight of my paycheck, losing something deemed important, circumstances beyond my control, and more, where I experienced emotions running me ragged, sapping my energy, consuming my thoughts.

After studying with Tony Robbins for a time, I considered all this emotion and I felt like a ball in a pinball machine bouncing off bumper after bumper being controlled by outside influences and helpless to change them, which added to the negative emotions. I was angry. I was hurt. I was sad. I was tired.

I appreciated what Tony taught me and then found one of my all-time-favorite books, Love Is Letting Go Of Fear by Gerald G Jampolsky. He likened what was happening to me as being a robot and other people and circumstances pushing my buttons causing me to feel a certain way.

All of these helped me begin the process of change. Eventually through James Allen, and a long list of others, I began to see that emotions don't cause our thinking, but it is the other way around--our thinking causes our emotions. As enlightening as that was, it wasn't until the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and reading all the authors she brought together, and particularly Esther and Jerry Hicks and the teachings of Abraham, and Echart Tolle, that it all came together for me. What came together is simply that my emotions are a perfect indicator of my thoughts, and rather than my emotions causing me to think certain things, I have total control always about what I choose to think and thereby change my emotions which indicate the change has been made.

In any and all circumstances, we have control over at least one thing. That is what we choose to think. If you're feeling bad, uptight, sad, and don't really want to feel that way, all that you need to do is the same for me: to choose a better feeling thought, then another and another until step by step we feel good again. It's not working through the problem, it is knowing that we alone ultimately have the solution.


"A Person Is Limited Only By The Thoughts That He Chooses." -- James Allen 

Spread Some Joy Today--for yourself. You absolutely have the power to do so. Choose thoughts that feel good and produce the emotion of joy.

Daily Inspiration 6-11-18

"There are two ways to find contentment: 

1. Do what you believe will make you content, and 

2. Choose contentment right where you stand. 

The latter is quicker and lasts longer." 

 -- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 1-11-14]

Having studied all kinds of things about life and living from a myriad of authors, I have always believed and have also found that truth is very simple and very old. It is not complicated. True enough, there are lots of directions from which to view it, but it is the same regardless of the viewing direction. When someone says there are 10 things, that is too many. It isn't that hard. It is easy and it is supposed to be easy so anyone who chooses to can get it, understand it and make use of it.

How do you find contentment? Choose it now. No long list of ways. No 300-page book on the subject. Just choose it. Where ever you find yourself, in whatever circumstance you are in, you still ultimately have the choices in your court. Just choose it.

This applies to happiness. It applies to peace and peace of mind. Whatever it is you want, just choose it. Now.


It Will Look Good On You! 

Spread Some Joy Today--It is always and always has been your choice. Want to spread joy? Choose it now. Choose to be joyful and the spreading of it will happen automatically.

Daily Inspiration 6-10-18

"We can't really praise God

without being thankful

for the thing we are praising Him for. 

And we can't really be thankful

without being happy about

whatever we're thankful for. 

Praising, then, involves both gratitude and joy." 

 -- Merlin R Carothers 

[Classic post from 2-2-14]

I don't talk in religious tones much, but about ten years ago, my late wife gave me a copy of a book to read. It moved me deeply. I've shared it a couple of times because I think it is a very powerful book and especially for a religious person to contemplate deeply. It is called, The Power In Praise by Merlin R Carothers.

On the very first page of this book, Merlin gets right to the heart of the matter. I'll quote part of it. It starts where Jim's father was an alcoholic for over 30 years and he got angry when anyone talked about religion. The family was praying for his healing and nothing happened.

It continues, "One day Jim heard me speak about the power that is released when we begin to praise God for everything in our lives instead of pleading with Him to change the circumstances that hurt us."

Jim brought home a tape of the meeting and played it over and over again for his friends. Then one day it struck him; he had never tried praising God for his father's condition. He shared with his wife and they decided to "thank God for his dad's alcoholism and praise Him that the condition is part of His wonderful plan for dad's life."

It was the beginning of an unexpected and very uplifting change in Jim's dad, and in Jim and his wife too.

It is easy to praise God or the Universe or Higher Power for things that bring us joy, but so many of us have grown up thinking that prayer is set aside to ask for God's help to fix something wrong (or at least wrong in our minds) and then wait and see what happens. It is a foreign thought to think to praise God for the so-called problem or wrong situation because somehow we think God had no part in the bad thing and only does good things. A really good question to consider about God is this: Where is God not? When you get your head around that, it opens a whole new world.

So, today about gratitude is to be grateful for EVERYTHING always. Whatever label we give something is not necessarily true for everyone, but withholding our gratitude harms no one but ourselves. Got fired? Praise God! Lost a loved one? Praise God! Got a speeding ticket? Praise God! The blessing has a hard time finding its way through when we are holding on to unhappy experiences and finding someone else to blame. And, there is always a blessing. Sometimes people even blame God. Praise instead of finding fault will change all of that and it will change your life too.

Before I found The Secret or many others that have helped me grow into a whole other understanding, my transition began with this book. I found that by praising God I uplift myself and have found peace in the process. It also completely changed prayer for me. I no longer ask God for things or situations but thank Him instead, for the blessing that I may not yet see, but that I've come to know is absolutely there.


"We Praise God, Not For What We Expect Will Happen In Or Around Us, But We Praise Him For What He Is And Where And How We Are Right Now!" -- Merlin R Carothers 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding praise-worthy things all around you today.

Daily Inspiration 6-9-18

"To err is human. 

To make a mistake is unforgivable. 

But, I could be wrong." 

 -- Albert K Strong 

[Classic post from 2-1-14]

It is so easy to become grateful for the "good" things. Those things and events that feel good, or positive, or bring us joy are easy to love. This requires no practice. It is something everyone does. However, to become grateful for things we don't agree with, feel crappy about, or just don't feel right is a serious challenge to most.

If we were to look at this detour from our trip to become grateful as a problem, the problem would be our beliefs. A belief is just a thought we keep thinking over and over again and a belief can be changed by changing the underlying thinking that creates the belief. In other words, we have to change our minds and think differently. The symptom of this problem is labeling. When we call something good or bad, mistakes or success, positive or negative, and so on, these are just labels we have assigned to these feelings. They are judgments.


If we are going to become a grateful person, we need to change our thinking and our labels or our judgments. An easy way to do this is to call all things experiences. When we do this, it eases the judgment and allows us to consider gratitude for the experience and the outcome. After all, the outcome is the outcome. Whatever it is or was, is or was. It isn't really good or bad except in our thinking and labels.

Mistakes in the past cannot be corrected or put behind you. They cannot be done over. They cannot be fixed or repaired. They are what they are. If we call them mistakes, we give that event or experience far more power than it deserves. Our best hope is to release our hold on it. It isn't holding on to us, we are holding on to it. We do that for a variety of reasons but rest assured, we are always in charge even when we say we are not.

As with yesterday's post, I think the metaphor of letting go of the rope is so appropriate and effective. Just drop the rope. Let go completely. Rename this thing an experience. You might even say, "I had this experience and this was the outcome. It is what it is and it was what it was. It has no hold on me. I release my attention to it right now." Lay the rope down and do not pick it back up.

Now see if there is anything you have learned from that experience. Find something you have benefited from, anything. Begin to appreciate the experience. Be grateful that it happened and praise yourself for making that choice then. There is always a benefit. Every experience has value and importance. Accept responsibility for making the choices, and allow it to be.

One day I was fired from a really good job. It was the happiest day of my life. It was sheer joy and elation. It changed my life for the better and released me to make the changes that have led me to where I am now. This is always true and would be accepted this way if people would allow this thinking. Instead, they are often depressed, or lost. But remember, we are always in charge. I created my own firing. It wasn't something that happened to me. I arranged it consciously or unconsciously, but I arranged it nonetheless.

With this approach, you can become a grateful person for everything in your life regardless of what you or others have previously labeled things. The calm contentment that follows is amazing.


You Get To Choose Your Labels And Your Thoughts On All Levels. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Isn't it joyful to realize that you are so in control of things? It is a joyful thing.

Daily Inspiration 6-8-18

"Conflict cannot survive 

without your participation." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

[Classic post from 7-14-14]

Though this is the first time I've seen this quote, I've always known it to be true. It is the old tug-o-war game again and when the rope is dropped, the game is over and the one who released it is freed. Though the other may continue to rant and rave and try to make trouble, there can be no trouble without our participation. 

When there is nothing to fight over, there is no fight. If someone wants something and you give it to them without a fight, what power do they have? None.

When someone is bent on harassment, even though you let go, this is the time to allow people like Marshall B Rosenberg to help make sense with, but these are extreme cases in comparison with the daily issues we face. With most of our issues, it is just a matter of not participating in the fight, or struggle, or pity party.


Releasing Resistance Is Our Own Freedom. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling your way through your day. The better you feel, the better your day.

Daily Inspiration 6-7-18

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free 

and discover that the prisoner was you." 

-- Lewis B Smedes 

[Classic post from 7-10-14]

I was talking briefly with someone today about forgiveness. Through much trial and error, I have learned to forgive and think that I have learned what forgiveness really is. So, here is what I learned that it is: our own thinking and judgment about past events that can never be changed, although we often want them to change, yet we also know that we can never change the past in the present, so the contrast of that creates the emotion of resentment, whereby we hold the other in judgment for their perceived wrongdoings to us.

Most people think that to forgive means to reconcile our feelings about that person and accumulated events associated with them. It can't be done. Usually, those who say they've done this are blowing smoke and acting as if they have forgiven the other when that isn't possible either.

First of all, it isn't about them. It is always about us. It is we who are thinking the thoughts that are causing us to not feel good. It is not them creating the thoughts. It is ourselves alone. No one can make us feel anything. Our own feelings are always a contrast between our real selves and our own ego.

The best description of what it is like to forgive I've ever come up with is to pretend that we are having a tug-o-war with ourselves, equally matched, and impossible to win. This leaves only one solution: to let go of the rope completely, and after letting go of the rope, to find the love that is always there. The way to find the love is to create a list of appreciation. Through appreciation, you can become grateful for the whole event, and then it is forever changed.

No one can do anything to us. Whenever we believe that our feelings are created from the outside, we will experience unhappiness. Our feelings are created from our own thoughts and never from the outside. Since no one can make us feel anything except ourselves, the other thing to grab hold of is that we are always in charge of how we feel and not anyone else regardless of the relationship.

When we let go of the rope and find things to appreciate, we have nothing but love and when there is love for the other, there is nothing to forgive. When we withhold love from the other, we build a wall between us.

Whatever you might be holding onto, feeling resentment about, feeling unhappy about, or even angry about is only ourselves in a tug-o-war with ourselves. By letting go of that rope, all of that goes away immediately.


Today, Right Here, And Right Now Is The Best Time To Let Go And Turn It To Love Through Appreciation. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Make a list today of everything you appreciate. Feel your love grow as you make your list.

Daily Inspiration 6-6-18

"Yesterday I was clever, 

so I wanted to change the world. 

Today I am wise, 

so I am changing myself." 

-- Rumi 

[Classic post from 7-8-14]

Yesterday, I got to see a wonderful friend who lives far away for a few hours. We have both been associated with the car business for a lot of years, and I mentioned that when I first got into the business and saw what it was like and the reputation that it had, I made it my personal goal to do what I could to change that.

Everything that I did to change it for the better went unnoticed by the car business. Though it may have been what some call a worthy cause, I found it to be an impossible dream.

It was only after I dropped my clever ideals of changing the world and focused on changing myself that I decided that I could have what I originally wanted, except on a much smaller scale. I could change me and affect those near me, and that is what I did the best job I could at, and feel in looking back over 40 years as having achieved success in this.

Now, I don't try to change anyone. That isn't my job. My job is to change me when that is needed. I can succeed at that. This doesn't mean that I don't have an influence on others. I do. I have. I will. That influence comes from my own changes and my own growth. I teach what I know and what I want to learn. The rest is up to them.


Regardless Of The Size Of The Audience, Our Real Power Is Leading By Example. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting your heart lead your brain.

Daily Inspiration 6-5-18

"Anyone who is 

at peace with himself 

is at peace with others." 

-- Georges Devereux, the character 

from the movie, Jimmy P. 

[Classic post from 7-6-14]

Lately, I am finding inspired messages that jump out at me when I hear them or see them, and many have come from movies that I have seen in the last few days. They've given me enough for many inspirational messages.

The one above was spoken softly in the movie, but he may have well been screaming it considering how it immediately got my attention. I thought, 'Wow! That is so powerful, simple and so true.

Think about it. Conflict with others is an indication of conflict within ourselves. Anger with others is an indication of anger within and of ourselves. In fact, it is our own thinking that creates these emotions, to begin with, not stimuli from somewhere else.

That means that when we are at peace with ourselves, happy with ourselves, respecting and loving ourselves, it is not really possible to be otherwise to others.


It All Begins And Ends With Ourselves. 

Spread Some Joy Today--with joy in your heart, it cannot be helped.

Daily Inspiration 6-4-18

"When you judge another, 

you do not define them, 

you define yourself." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

[Classic post from 7-2-14]

I was thinking about self-esteem, and when I saw this quote from my long-time mentor, Wayne Dyer, it seemed so appropriate for that topic. For example, if we are judging someone else--and the word judging generally is construed as finding fault and then punishing by judgment rule--then what does that say about our self-esteem? I think that it says we have very little.

Seth Godin recently wrote, "It's called self-esteem. What other people think of you is called "other-people esteem." That's a different thing altogether." He goes on to say, "If it's better to think well of yourself, then by all means, go ahead. No need to wait for us to do it for you. Without a doubt, uncaring people can tear you down and make this more difficult, but at some point, you can make a choice."

I think that either way we make a choice. We either make a choice to like, appreciate, love ourselves for who and what we are, appreciating our path and decisions, or we make a choice to beat ourselves up, lament about all the wrongs we ever did, all the people who did things to us, of which we cannot possibly be held responsible, and so on.

You can probably see that in other people very easily and which choices they are making. It always seems easier to see it in others, yet it is good to examine it personally too.

I love that phrase, "other-people esteem." So often we may be looking for others to give us our esteem when that is clearly not their job. Other people can appreciate us, like us, love us, but what value would that really be if we didn't already have our own appreciation and love for ourselves?


Here's A Better Question: What Is Right With Me? How Have I Provided Value And Benefit To Others? 

Spread Some Joy Today--Lighten up! Have some fun!

Daily Inspiration 6-3-18

"It's so easy to make a mistake

in language if you aren't careful. 

What if you meant to say, 

'What's troubling you?' 

and what you actually said was, 

'What's wrong with you?'" 

-- Jim Rohn 

[Classic post from 6-10-14]

I was thinking more about yesterday's post about positive news and negative news and how the negative stands out so much, though it is a tiny fraction of the positive things going on in the world.

This caused me to think about how often we communicate with each other and the questions that we ask and how that has a tendency to either bring up something negative or kill the communication entirely.

An extremely common question is, 'how are you?' or 'how are you today?' If it is Monday, they might say, 'did you have a good weekend?' or 'what did you do for the weekend?' and if it is Friday, they might inquire what plans you might have for the weekend and such. All of these are lame questions in my mind, and they provoke lame answers that say pretty much nothing.

So, how about changing some of that just for a few days and see what happens and pay particular attention to how different people's responses are, and what you find out about them that you never would have found.

After you ask these newer questions, make sure and listen well. We've sort of trained ourselves to not listen or pay much attention to the answers to the 'lame' questions. Here are some good questions to ask people:

What awesome (or fun, interesting, joyful, exciting, etc) thing is going on in your life?

What is going really well for you right now?

What did you learn recently that is worth sharing?

What is your favorite movie?

Ask something about what they are wearing, or about their hair. This is especially good after a compliment.

Speaking of compliments. This has become such a habit with me and it not only spreads joy to others, it brings me joy as well. I find something to compliment everyone on and quite often I speak it aloud to them. It is always sincere and I am always looking for something to compliment others on.

OK, now write out some of your own questions. The best thing is to elicit a positive, perhaps even uplifting response from the other person. You may see joy spill out of them, or enthusiasm, and most likely, they would love to tell you about whatever it is.


What A Difference You Will Make! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by bringing out the best in others.

Daily Inspiration 6-2-18

"Awareness encourages focus. 

As we focus, 

that is when we see 

what was not there." 

-- Albert K Strong 

[Classic post from 5-29-14]

Today, I was loving purple. Every shade of purple. Some were light and airy and some were bold and dark, and all of them were purple.

A couple of days ago, I was out for a walk, and I was loving green. Every shade of green, amazing myself with the sheer number of shades in only my small field of view.

Something got my attention and I became aware of purple in the waiting area at Kaiser-Permanente getting some standard tests done. So, I accepted the awareness and it was like opening a door and walking into a stadium filled with shades of purple. No, I'm not trippin'. I began to smile and I was really enjoying myself and eagerly anticipating the next shade of purple I would see and whether it is clothing or some other object. It was as if purple was the predominant color in the room. I saw purple all the way home. Then, I let purple go.

Our brain receives so much data that it automatically filters things that we may not need to see. Otherwise, we would be overwhelmed with information. It is the awareness of something--a person, an object, or even an idea, and that awareness encourages us to focus, to hone in on it. As we do, our brain now has filters changed to allow more to come through. Yet, it was there all the time.

All that purple I saw today, and the green a couple days ago was there. I just didn't see it. We can accurately say I wasn't paying attention to it. Something got my attention, I focused, and I was reeling from all the green.

Can we do this on purpose? Absolutely. Today was a bit of fun, and I think that the key to doing it on purpose is also to keep it fun. The other key, I think, is to focus on the positive aspect of it. With the fun of purple, there was no negative side, but if we think about money, there is money and the lack of it, and so often we might focus on the negative. It might even be automatic, or habitual. So, instead, just have some fun with it.

See how you can see money all around you when you focus. See others enjoying their adult toys, shopping, big malls and shopping centers to accept their money and exchange things for it. Enjoy the view, feel how good it feels. Focus on what you want and not what you lack or don't want and see it appear all around you. In this change of outlook, you release resistance. So often, we are the only ones keeping things from ourselves.


Having Fun Focusing On What I Want To See.

Spread Some Joy Today--Allow curiosity to expand your awareness. Focus on joy. Now you will see joy all around you.

Daily Inspiration 6-1-18

"Maximum growth and development 

occur at the border of support and challenge, 

ease and difficulty, order and disorder." 

-- Dr. John F Demartini 

[Classic post from 6-22-14]

I have no idea where I got the idea that by finding the right partner, the right job, the right place to live, and other such concepts, would lead me to have ease without difficulty, support without challenge, and order without disorder, yet I seem to have had that thought or thoughts and that often led to frustration. It's not just that the grass might be greener on the other side of the fence, but thinking that it will never get weeds and never needs mowing generally doesn't enter our minds as we see all that green beyond the fence.

Dr. Demartini says, "many people live in a fantasy that they can have ease without difficulty and support without challenge. Then, when they encounter difficulties and challenges, they feel frustrated, almost insulted, that life isn't working out the way they'd fantasized. He adds, "the amount of challenge that you think belongs in your life is not necessarily the amount of challenge that life is going to throw at you. It is all about your perceptions." He advises that "when we live according to our highest values and embrace both support and challenge equally, we grow and develop most efficiently and fulfill our most inspired missions."

We might often see these challenges as obstacles that are in the way of what we want. And, here Dr. Demartini says something that really helped me change my perception. He said, "Obstacles are not in your way, but simply on your way."

To see challenge and support equally is to realize that our perceived problems or challenges are not in our way, but simply on our way is to lead an inspired life. There is nothing in nature, he says, that has support without challenge, or only challenge without support. There is no such thing, and even if there were, there would be no life for it is in the challenges, and especially at the border of challenge and support that we grow and are alive.


It Is Amazing How One Sentence Can Change Perceptions. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by focusing on loving yourself today--the whole of you, not just parts.