Daily Inspiration 8-31-19

"O how I laugh when I think

of my vague indefinite riches. 

No run on my bank can drain it, 

for my wealth is not my possession 

but my enjoyment." 

-- Henry David Thoreau 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-27-15]

Every single person on the planet can be rich in this way. Isn't that the most powerful thing? Every single person. There aren't enough banks on the planet to hold those kinds of riches.


I Hope You're Laughing Too! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by laughing all the way past the bank. . .

Daily Inspiration 8-30-19

"Outstanding leaders go out of their way

to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. 

If people believe in themselves, 

it's amazing what they can accomplish." 

-- Sam Walton 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-25-15]

Some leaders are so adept at this strategy, that to not succeed is unthinkable. The better people feel about where they are spending a majority of their awake time, the better everything goes. The better they perform while at work, the better they relate to their family and loved ones, the better they feel about themselves. And, the latter is the driving force to all the rest.


Find Ways To Uplift Another Whether You Think You Are A Leader Or Not. If You Uplift Others, You Are.

Spread Some Joy Today--because it's the last Wednesday of the month. Heck, any reason is a good one.

Daily Inspiration 8-29-19

"Change the story 

and you change perception; 

change perception 

and you change the world." 

-- Jean Houston 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-24-15]

Whatever your story is, or the story within the story, the accumulations of thoughts repeated over and over that eventually become beliefs--whatever it is, if it is not serving you, then the opportunity always exists to change the story. When you change the story, your perceptions change, and when your perception changes, you change the world. We all have our own world from that perspective.

Here's an easy one to recognize and I recognize the differences in me very clearly. How many times have you thought, "shit happens?" Or, maybe the randomness of events is what you see. You might think, "well, I didn't attract that. I never would have asked for that in my life." You only take responsibilities for the positive things and blame others, circumstances, fate, and all manner of outside things for anything negative that comes? You joined the club.

So, I've said this one before, but it is so darn good, I could repeat it forever. I used to believe that shit happens that we have no control over, but I gave that up. One very clear thing I adopted was the idea that "things are always working out for me." A simple idea. And, you know what? It absolutely changed my story, which changed my perception, and this whole thing changed the world that I see. 

Another thing was learning the idea of my emotions being a guidance system instead of just how I feel when "bad shit" or "good shit" happens. Learning that I can know what it means and what to do next when I pay attention to how I feel changed my story, which changed my perception, which changed my world, and my life.

Remember that a belief is just a thought we keep thinking, so when we finally realize that this belief is no longer serving us, we can choose a better feeling thought, and another, and then our story changes, perception changes, and the world we live in changes.


Is It Time For A New Story? Better Perception? Changing Your World? You Are The Only One In Charge Of That. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Who doesn't want joy? Not Any.

Daily Inspiration 8-28-19

"It's a little embarrassing 

that after 45 years of research and study, 

the best advice I can give people 

is to be a little kinder to each other." 

-- Aldous Huxley 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-23-15]

What A Wonderful Idea!

Spread Some Joy Today--by being kinder to everyone you meet today.

Daily Inspiration 8-27-19

"The people in your life

will always give you

exactly what you expect. 

No exceptions." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-21-15]

This is a big Daily Inspiration because I have learned over the last few years one of the most important things I ever could ever have learned about relationships. When I speak of relationships, I am thinking personally about my late wife and other love relationships that I have had over my years; however, this applies exactly the same with any relationship. It could be a boss at work, a person you are doing business with, a member of a team, a family member, whatever. It applies to any relationship.

I didn't learn it until I read about the Book of Positive Aspects from the book, Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks just a few years back, but it got my attention so perfectly, and I have now adopted it and use it all the time now in any relationship I might have.

Let's take a love relationship as an example. It is so easy to see things in another--their idiosyncrasies, their manner, the things that they choose to focus on again and again. As we take notice of these things, and when they are different than our own, it is easy to speak against them, whether right out, or as sarcasm, or as an example. I have done it for years and years. Not meaning to do harm, mind you, but it is not doing well either.

I always come back to the story I learned thirty or more years ago from Jim Rohn, that there are two ways to have the tallest building. One is to become known as a builder, and the other is only classified as a destroyer. We do this in relationships and don't even realize we're doing it.

Let me open this subject up with this quote from Abraham, Esther Hicks: "The Source within you only sees positive aspects in your partner, [or the other in a different kind of relationship] and whenever you are finding positive aspects, you are in alignment with who-you-really-are." The brackets are mine.

The Source within me, the God within me, Emmanuel, My Higher Self, or whatever name you might like to use, it's all the same. Our emotion is generated by our relationship with that inner Source. When we are in alignment, we feel good or positive emotions, and when we are out of alignment, we feel negative emotions to indicate to us that we are out of alignment with our greater knowing.

The Book of Positive Aspects is a tool to use to help us get back into alignment. I would have loved to have known more fully about it when I was twenty instead of so much later, but it's never too late to learn. It is a simple thing. Get a plain old notebook, spiral notebook, whatever, and write at the top: Positive Aspects of ________ and fill in the blank. In my case, it was Nancy when I first started this. 

Then you just start listing the positive aspects of that person. Let your mind soar. Don't leave anything out however small it may seem. It is all-important. It can be physical aspects, mental aspects, spiritual aspects, their manner, how they talk, how they do things, etc. Just keep writing until you cannot anymore. Then tomorrow, do it again. Add to the list. Then tomorrow do it again. Add more to the list until you feel that you have a really full list. Then just reread it and focus on those positive aspects by giving praise and appreciation for them and how they are sharing those wonderful aspects in your life. Then, visit that list often.

It matters not at all that the other does this or even knows about this process. It only matters that you do it. Their faults are your own creation in your own head. They probably wouldn't even agree with you. It isn't about right or wrong, truth or not truth. It is all about you, how you feel about them. It has nothing at all to do with how they feel about you. This is a challenging lesson to learn.

It's not about what they are doing that irritates or upsets you, it is about what you are thinking and how different that is from the Source within you and that is what is causing any negative emotion, or the fact that you are upset, disappointed, or disagree with their position or their actions, or lack of them. It is all about you. As it was all about me. It was a hard lesson for me, but so worth it to learn. 

Everything that has happened in my life is perfect, and I don't need to change anything, but if I were to change something, I would have begun using the Book of Positive Aspects sooner. Yet, I can now use it all I want because I now know it now and I know now how powerful this is. It is a complete game-changer as far as I'm concerned.

And the best news about this is how it will change you. You might think the other person changed, but it is more likely that your point of view changed. Your love will blossom. They will, in fact, respond differently to you. You will see positive changes. And, the main reason for that is that you are now focused on their positive aspects. It will help you develop more unconditional love and unconditional acceptance. 


What's Right With This Picture? What Is Perfect About This Picture? What Is Wonderful About This Person? Let's See How Many Ways I Can Understand Them And Love Them. 

Spread Some Joy Today--inside yourself. Let it all start within you.

Daily Inspiration 8-26-19

"Anyone who is in a place of lack-- 

no matter how much action they offer-- 

attracts more lack. 

Any action that is offered from a place of lack

is always counterproductive. 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New:  Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-19-15]

In all my years of sales management, I've seen a lot of salespeople who have such a hard time making good. They try and try and try and so often come up short. In my most recent wisdom, I realize that this came from their belief in lack, or rather, more accurately, their focus on lack.

Oh sure, they would say that they wanted more sales, more income, better performance, but that is not where their focus was. Their focus was on the fact that it hasn't happened yet. It was a need much more than a desire. If they had put that same focus on the success aspect of what they wanted, they would have done better.

I've seen several movies and have even heard it from others that a salesperson in debt is a good thing because they are then more motivated to get up, get going and make good. That's a bunch of crap as far as I'm concerned. It's a bad philosophy to motivate from a position of lack. Debt can be another word for lack depending on one's point of view on the subject.

In my first situation as a young salesman, we had a guy come to work who owned a camper shell company, but that business was not doing so well at the time. He was quite good as a salesman and did very well. He carried two uncashed paychecks in his wallet at all times. Money was not such a need for him, but it was more about him doing something productive with his time and having a return based on that. If he needed the money so much, he would have cashed those checks. He turned what he was doing into fun. What do you suppose those uncashed checks meant to him? How do you imagine having them caused him to feel?

Here's a great way to look at what we want from Abraham & Esther Hicks: "Rather than saying, "I want more money," say instead, "I want to feel my financial well-being." You see, it is possible to feel an increased sense of financial well-being even before the money comes. But when you are focused upon the desire for the money and taking score of the absence of the money, you are Vibrationally defeating your own purpose."

We often think it is circumstances, or action, or heredity, or randomness, and it may seem strange and hard to believe initially, but everything we want, along with the things we do not want is all about emotion. And it is our thinking causing the emotion, so it all begins with a thought and our point of view or point of attraction.

We will struggle mightily on a diet to lose weight while we believe we are fat or overweight. It is why we buy things on credit to try to have that feeling of well-being, and then the debt from that action carries greater weight on us. However, if we begin with the thought and focusing on the feeling of well-being; the feeling of being thin or thinner; the feeling of a healthy body; the feeling of successful accomplishment; the feeling of joy; the feeling of love; the feeling of being in love; the feeling of loving ourselves; the feeling of what we want, we can get to where we want to go with ease and fun.

It is not only possible, but it is also virtually certain that if we can develop the feeling of what we want without any of the feelings of what we do not want interfering, that which we want will come to pass. In other words, focusing on what we want, and paying no attention to what we do not want. It's okay to notice what we do not want because by knowing what we do not want, we know more what we do want. But to focus there kills what we do want.

In other words, to focus on the fact that I don't actually have the money I want, or the thinness that I want or the health that I want, or whatever it is that I want, keeps me away from what I do want. To get what I do want, that is where I need to focus, see it, believe it, feel it now as if it already was until it is. And the way to do this with ease instead of struggle is to constantly choose better feeling thoughts that cause me to feel good.


"Nothing Is More Important Than That You Feel Good, For When You Feel Good, You Are In Harmony With Your Greater Intent." -- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling what it feels like to be joyous.

Daily Inspiration 8-25-19

"What is the definition of procrastination? 

It means: I can feel within my Energy sensor 

that this action is not in perfect alignment at this time." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-17-15]

All this time, I thought that procrastination was a felony and according to Abraham, it isn't even a misdemeanor. In fact, it's not even a negative at all. And heretofore (that's such a fun word), I've been feeling bad about it, thinking I should, I could have, I'm lazy, afraid, and well. . . a whole pile of emotions that are not on the positive scale.

So now, I can feel within my energy-feeling sensor. . . (I got the feelin', the feelin' deep inside...) that this action that I've been putting off, rethinking to the max, fretting over endlessly, and more is not in perfect alignment at this time. Hallelujah! I'm not only off the hook, but I'm also seeing a much bigger picture! It's just not the right time. My Energy isn't aligned. I'm not ready.

The next thing, now that I'm off the hook for all those negative emotions about procrastination, is to let go of it, not worry about it at all, just let it go, for now, move on to what I am ready to do, stop thinking it to death, it will all be okay.

Hey, everything is always working out for me! Don't worry, be happy!


I'm Assigning It To My Universal Manager To Deal With, While I Go Off And Enjoy My Day! 

Spread Some Joy Today--Letting go is more often a positive thing that many think.

Daily Inspiration 8-24-19

"Agreement feels good, 

yet there is something

wonderful about disagreement too. 

Of course, it depends entirely 

on your current point of view." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 8-26-15]

A couple nights ago, I watched a movie from 2007, Starting Out in the Evening. On a 5-star scale, I rated it a 3. Of course, the co-star was delightful on the eyes, but other than this, there was one scene that is memorable to me. I think it was memorable because I could relate to it so much. I've been there many times.

The grown daughter was in love with a guy and they had broken up once and were now together again. They broke up because there was a fundamental disagreement in their future of being together. She wanted children, and he didn't want anything to do with that. They both felt strongly about that, so they went their separate ways.

The scene takes place in a line outside a movie theater. She is excited and chatting about the movie she wants to see again, and she is wanting him to feel the same way. He's not feeling it. She tries to change his mind because she so wants him to feel the same way as she does and she wants him to enjoy the movie as much as she does. Agreement feels good.

But, she can tell that he is not into it at all and is basically killing his own desires to attempt to satisfy her, and yet, it is obvious he is struggling with that. I think because they had history and that major disagreement, she softens her insistence that he join her, and suggests that he see the movie at the same theater that she knows he really wants to see. He's immediately elated. She can tell she made a great decision and will learn to be okay with it. They each buy a ticket to two different movies. End scene.

How many times in your relationships has something like this happened? Perhaps you suffered through without expressing your own desires. Perhaps you led the other into the pit of something they do not want to do just because you think it should be done together.

I was married twice. Once for 16 years and the last for 26 years. I've had hundreds of situations like this in my own experience. I guess that's how I could relate to it so much. What usually did not happen in the earlier times for me was agreeing to disagree. Because it is marriage, we think we should compromise whenever necessary. In other words, pretend to agree. In later times in the last marriage, I made my desires more clearly and with love, held on to some independent decision making and activity.

It is nice to agree but to think that any two people, married or not, could agree all the time on everything is silliness. It will never happen. Why? Because we are individuals coming together to share--but not to dominate. Compromise is okay as long as both are in agreement on the compromise, but compromise for the sake of saying we're in agreement is more silliness.

There is something special about disagreement if you can allow that thought to entertain. Consider this regarding the above movie scene. They go to their separate movies, and later they go to dinner and ask each other questions about their movie experience, such as, "What did you like about that movie?", "What was your favorite part?", "Were there things that you could relate to in the movie that mirrors or suggest things about your own life?", "Who were your favorite characters?", "Why?", "How was the acting. . . the direction. . . the scenery and costumes...?"

As we stand in disagreement, and as we have interest in the other's point of view, we can learn much more about each other and enjoy each other so much more than if we simply compromised and did the "right" thing. Often, in my own experience, the thing to do is the "healthy" thing by allowing disagreement and even finding agreement within it.


I Have Learned How To Agree To Disagree And Be Good With It. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing yourself to feel good.

Daily Inspiration 8-23-19

"The power of affirmations 

is telling a new story  

until it becomes your story." 

-- Albert K Strong 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-15-15]

Some may think affirmations are silly, and sometimes they feel that way, to begin with, but there is a real power in affirmations.

My favorite affirmation has become, "Things are always working out for me!" Or, things are always working out for us, or our business, or our family, etc."

I have to tell you that this affirmation that I accepted from Abraham, Esther Hicks has made a huge difference to me and the way things turn out.

I'm getting to the point where I say it to myself all the time, and I say it aloud quite often as well. And, you know the best part? Things are always working out for me. It's uncanny how since I started using this in earnest that things actually are working out for me.

If you have a mind to try it for yourself, please do. I think after a few weeks, or maybe a couple of months, or maybe even a few minutes, you will find that it makes a difference to you and in your life.


Enjoy The Difference That This Little Idea Contains. 

Spread Some Joy Today--How can you not be joyous when things are always working out for you?

Daily Inspiration 8-22-19

"I want to put a ding in the universe." 

-- Steve Jobs 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-14-15]

Absolutely! Steve Jobs did put a ding in the Universe, and in our own way, probably much different than his, we do as well, just by being you. That is how he did it too.


Enjoy Your Journey. When It Really Comes Down To The End, No One Is Better Than Another. We Are Equal In Our Contribution, But Perhaps On Different Scales Of Measurement. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply enjoying yourself today. No rules. No problems. Just Enjoyment.

Daily Inspiration 8-21-19

"We would trust the feeling 

more than the words." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Listen to the audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-13-15]

I wanted to share a fascinating quote by Abraham, Esther Hicks, recorded at a workshop in Houston, Texas on January 13th, 2001. I think it is a very important way to view people:

"If you feel drawn to someone, but you are annoyed because you think that they are telling you some lies, try to look beyond the lies and try to focus upon the feeling. People offer all kinds of words for all kinds of different reasons. Most lies are offered to try to keep things in alignment. We're not encouraging it, but the motive behind lying is usually a pretty honorable motive. In other words, when a child lies to their parents, it's usually because they want to be free to do what they want to do, and they don't want their parents to be upset about it. It's about wanting an alignment. Physical ears have a hard time hearing this. You keep talking about "We need to be honest." And we say we don't meet any of you who are honest. Even those who claim to be the most virtuous, are not honest, but your vibration always is. We would trust the feeling more than the words."

I made the last part in italics because this is the part that really jumped off the page at me. The more I allow myself to understand our vibrational world, the more this makes total sense.

Have you ever met someone (or several someones) that you liked but because of the way they talked or acted, you had no desire to be around them, associate with them, or be friends with them? I have, and now it makes sense to me why I felt that way. It was because I was sensing the vibration of something good about them.

Now in my growing wisdom, I recognize this more easily and then I bless them in my mind and do what I can to send appreciative vibrations to them.

Sometimes people are really full of it, but by sensing their vibration, you may "see" that what they are offering physically is just a smokescreen meant to impress or protect. Underneath it all, they are just like us.


We Can All Use The Benefit Of The Doubt, And We Can All Use More Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding a way to feel good today no matter what is going on around you or around the world. There is nothing more important to our health, well-being, and prosperity than feeling good.

Daily Inspiration 8-20-19

"When you are grateful-- 

when you can see what you have-- 

you unlock blessings to flow into your life." 

-- Suze Orman 

New: Listen to the audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-12-15]

Many people just aren't ready for gratitude to be bestowed on them. Instead, they are more ready for an explanation, justification, being prepared for an attack, and apprehensive of others, their motives, their agendas, and such. And little do they know that such joy and gratitude lay just beyond the horizon of their view.

Yesterday I briefly mentioned being aware, or as Eckhart Tolle calls it, becoming awake, or having an awakening. All that means is that you open up to a much wider view than you had before. We go about our lives sometimes in oblivion. Not paying attention to anything more important than getting there quickly, getting our needs met, and getting on with it. So, who has time for gratitude? And, really, who means it when they say it anyway? That stuff is for weirdoes.

Welcome to the world of weirdo's. I am on the board of directors of this group. I rejoice in my weirdness. Weirdo's rule!

I love this quote by Jack Kornfield, who said, "Those who are awake live in a constant state of amazement." Even a year or two ago, I might have thought that this sounded good, but I wouldn't have been able to relate very well. Even though I've grown and let go and become so much more, that statement was a little hard to swallow.

No more.

I'm beginning to live my life exactly like that--in a constant state of amazement. And, I have to tell you that it is beyond wonderful, totally joyful, and extremely uplifting.

I was just driving home this afternoon from an appointment and I found myself thanking the State of California in my mind for the adjustment they made to the onramp at the Alamo Drive westbound onramp. It used to be scary and a problem, and now it is a total breeze, and way safer. Then I was thanking God for the bit of rain we had today. It wasn't much, but it helped clear the air, create strong fragrances that are so delightful just after a bit of rain, the green grass on the typically brown hillsides, the feel of the day as it was totally delighting me.

Then I was thanking the State again for this wonderful freeway that they have done so much work on to improve. It used to be so bumpy and now that is gone.

I was being thankful for the great car I was driving, how reliable and comfortable it has been and it still runs like the day I bought it. I looked over at Charlie totally enjoying the smell of the air and the breeze flowing over him in the seat next to me.

Some might think I've become silly, and they are right. I am. I'm silly with joy much of the time in almost every circumstance.

Yesterday, we signed up an auto dealer for our Trend Setter Package to be of service helping expand their relatively new commercial truck department. I was telling the main contact how grateful and excited I was to have them join us because I have wanted this for a long time. It is in the same city I live in and the same city where years ago I built a huge and massively successful commercial truck department, but it fell to ashes and no one ever picked up the ball. Now, this is the right dealer to do that and I am more than thrilled to be of service toward a very successful end.

I am almost in constant gratitude as I drive around, as I sit at my computer, which I do a lot, looking out the window at the sky, looking around the room at my things and how grateful I am to have had them, as well as grateful to let them go.

I think about my wife now passed a year and a half or so and am so grateful to have been a part of her life. I know that she is still with me, though just not physically. She is also in a far better place now. She too is in constant joy and love and I delight in that fact. She left me her dog, Charlie to take care of, and Charlie and I have become inseparable. He is a delight to me and my wife knew that he would be, even though it seemed like he hated me when she was here. So protective, he was. (Yoda talk).

Well, I could go on for days with what I am grateful for. The world is chock full of delight when you see it that way. Are you growing in gratitude? Are you seeing the miraculous in the everyday? Toilet paper, towels, hot showers, running water, ice without opening the refrigerator, microwave ovens, concrete, clouds, rain, snow, weather, sunshine, a light breeze, music. OMG! It's everywhere. And, most of it is free or costs little. Just look around with eyes of gratitude and you will be amazed.


It Was All There Before, But Now It Has Changed. Or, Was It Me? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing the joy that surrounds and fills your life just waiting for you to acknowledge it.

Daily Inspiration 8-19-19

"No one experiences freedom

until they stop pushing against others. 

The only thing that binds you 

is the pushing against that which is unwanted." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-11-15]

Sometimes I see people who are sort of hung up with the past. They would love to go back and fix whatever it is that is still bothering them here today, regardless of how long ago it was. I used to do a lot of that myself. "I wish I would have. . . . It would be better if only. . . . and well, you get the drill probably.

Lewis Carroll said, "I can't go back to yesterday--because I was a different person then." And, I like how Robert Tew relates to the past: "No matter how much you revisit the past there's nothing new to see." Both well stated.

So, back to the quote, I began with about experiencing freedom. Pushing against others who have differing opinions, or even strong beliefs, or pushing against something in the past creating regret today, or pushing against an ideology, or an entity I might disagree with in their intentions or philosophy or operating practices--all of that keeps us bound in negative emotion, and held voluntarily; albeit, perhaps unknowingly from our joy, which is our ultimate state along with that feeling of love, empowerment, and of course, freedom.

Eckhart Tolle calls it awakening and becoming conscious, and others have somewhat different terms for it, but I call it awareness. In any case, it is as seeing all that is around us with new eyes. It's also interesting that I have found that place and have been increasingly there now for several years.

That quote by Lewis Carroll is so wonderful and so true for me in that I cannot even go back as short a distance as yesterday because I was a different person then. And, as such, I have learned to stop pushing against anything in my past, and instead, celebrate it as it was perfect for me at the time with what I knew and who I was then. It's like looking back at a path that has led me here and it is good. In other words, there is not anything in the past any more that is out of place. It is all good now regardless of how I used to view it.

As I go through my day, I might find things that I don't like. This is perfect. Life is contrast helping to guide me to what I really want and in knowing what I don't want, this causes me to know what I do want, so that thing that I don't like, is perfect guidance, and therefore, there is no reason at all to push against it, but rather just accept it gladly knowing its presence is actually helpful for me. 

I'm aware, and more important to me, is that I am practicing. I practice noticing what I'm feeling. I practice paying attention to something that I don't like. I practice seeking what I do like. I practice being freer by experiencing and celebrating more joy in my life. Conversations are totally different than they used to be. I listen more with less judgment and instead find things to appreciate. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, I look for things that are right. I see now with different eyes and I am awake to all that is going on around me and within me. And, this freedom is so fantastic that I revel in this change in me.

One last tidbit from Abraham & Esther Hicks: "Be excited about what is. Speak appreciation about what is, without justifying what is by pushing against everything else, then in all of the differences, you find exactly what you are reaching for." [slightly paraphrased]


My Own Awareness Has Been A Complete Game Changer. Plus, Now It Truly Is More Of A Game. 

Spread Some Joy Today--in your appreciation of that joy within you.

Daily Inspiration 8-18-19

"For everything that falls through, 

something equal or better comes through." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version here.

[Classic post from 3-8-15]

I've come to believe that we often get a little bit crazy about this idea of right and wrong, good and bad, success and failure. If anything would be truer, I think it would be the idea that there is the thing and the lack of the thing; as an example, there would be well-being and the lack of well-being, that we so often call health and sickness.

By looking at the thing and the lack of it, it is easier to see what the real cause of our results in life are--on which of these we focus our thoughts and energies. If we focus on the thing, we will have the thing, and equally, when we focus on the lack of the thing, we will have more of the lack of the thing. That is expanded even more by the help of the Law of Attraction adding more thoughts, circumstances, events to the point of our focus.

As we have a thought or create an action, we will have results. Sometimes the way things might work out, we say that it fell through, or didn't work out. We might think that we made a bad decision, a poor choice, didn't put enough into it, things were happening beyond our control, and a long list of other ways to explain it, and most of them are usually of a negative nature.

However, what if we believed that everything worked out for us? 

Maybe we were looking for The Perfect Decision. Maybe we even asked for opinions and advice of others. Yet, I've come to believe that every decision is a perfect decision and that there is no such thing as the perfect decision.

If we were steering a vehicle or vessel through an area of hazards that could harm the vehicle or vessel, would we not be glad to steer clear of them? To find a better way? To see a different path? To adjust to the environment?

In this way, every outcome is a positive outcome. It's not that one outcome is bad and one is good, thereby indicating one choice was right and one was wrong, or that it was a good decision or a poor decision. It is the outcome that guides us, and that is always a positive thing. Even deeper and more important than that, it is our emotions that indicate how we feel about the outcome, and our emotions are our ultimate guidance.

We usually think of this in that when we are feeling good, it was a good decision or good outcome, and when we feel bad or negative about it, then it was a bad decision or poor outcome. Do you think it is possible to feel good about any way the outcome is, or how it turns out? Do you think you could even get excited about the guidance that came from that decision and outcome? I think we can.

It's not about being positive all the time. It's about believing that everything works out for us. In other words, what happened helped us to find a way to thrive, to expand, to become more, and then it actually did turn out perfectly. You have to feel good about that, so there is that good feeling emotion from something that we could have, or probably did in other times, look at with disdain and harsh judgment.

If we believe that everything works out for us, we will know that regardless of what happens, something better is on the way to us; that the next decision will achieve even better good feelings, and we find more and more joy in our travels, making decision after decision knowing full well that every decision is going to work out perfectly for us. 


Everything Is Always Working Out For Me! 

Spread Some Joy Today--because when you really get hold of joy, you will find almost nothing to not be joyful about in one way or another. Joy is a perfect decision.

Daily Inspiration 8-17-19

"I always appreciate beauty, 

and sometimes I get 

to see more beyond that." 

-- Albert K Strong 

NEW: Listen to the audio version.

[Classic post from 3-7-15]

Today, I had a brief business meeting at a Starbucks. It's such a convenient place to meet people.

As I was waiting because I was early, I sat over by the wall, playing with my cell phone a bit and watching people come in and out. It was 4pm and it was 77 degrees outside. Such a beautiful day. Then two young women pulled up and came inside. They were very pretty, thin, attractive, both had blond hair, tight jeans, summer type top. Nice bodies, great looking, and even though they were at least 40 years younger, I am not blind to attractive women of any age. So I briefly enjoyed the view.

However, I didn't spend much time thinking about the physical attractiveness of these young women, because something else came through much more strongly. What I saw in them was their joy. They spent time getting ready. The day was gorgeous. They were just out and about enjoying the day, stopping for something at Starbucks. And, they were loving themselves, loving the day, loving the movement, loving the way they looked, enjoying totally how they felt and how the environment felt. They were in joy. And, I was appreciating their joy and the ability to see that in them. There is nothing quite so special as how that feeling that they were experiencing feels, and I was appreciating that feeling I've had before by seeing it in them.

Throughout my little jaunt today, I saw all kinds of people. Some in Starbucks, like a guy who was filling some sacks with sugar packets, putting water into a used water bottle, had a cup of coffee, packed everything up so neatly with two plastic bags and a backpack, and was on his way. He too was enjoying himself. He had a refreshing stop and got some things that pleased him, took care to pack well and back on his way he went. Maybe he was traveling a long distance on a bicycle, or maybe he was an upper scale homeless person. Whatever his story, he appeared to be enjoying himself--as was I noticing that and appreciating him.

My appointment arrived. I've never met him. We talked for a while and found some common things. It could have been very short as he was bringing me something, but we chatted, and I was enjoying it. I could tell that he wanted to talk more, so I relaxed and shared back and forth with him. What a nice guy. I was appreciating him, what he does for his job, how he likes to do things in his business, and much more. It was a great time well spent.

I was only out and about for one and a half hours, and I could write about all the things and people that I appreciated for several pages. I'm sure you don't want to read that far. I will just say that everywhere I went today, stopping at the grocery store, the meeting at Starbucks, stopping for fuel, walking Charlie for a bit, driving in the car looking in the mirrors, watching others in cars, it was all so wonderful. I got home with such a great feeling that is lasting still two hours later writing this.

If you want to feel good, start appreciating what is in your field of view. Then find something else to appreciate. Try to see beyond the surface of what is there. Try to see the feelings under the talk. Pay attention to how you are feeling. Look for people enjoying themselves. See their joy. See their happiness. See their frown and picture it a smile. Praise them with your mind. Uplift them. See beyond the exterior shell that we all have. See and appreciate the human being in the other. Love them the way they are and for who they are inside.


It's A Whole New View Of Your World. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing the joy in others and joining in the party.

Daily Inspiration 8-16-19

Delegate: 

Entrust to another person. 

Delegation: 

The act of entrusting to another person 

New Age Delegation: 

Let Go! 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 3-4-15]

Delegation is such an interesting topic. It is full of emotion many times and there are a very wide array of viewpoints.

Having been a manager for the majority of my life, this topic has always been at the forefront of my mind. How can I get more done? How can I find time to think and plan? Now I watch other managers and see how they do things to see where they are on this issue. It's always interesting to watch. That way, I get to see myself in some of my travels through another.

Stephen R Covey, who wrote the mega-seller, The Seven Habits Of Highly Successful People, had a chart that was about how we spend our time and what value that time has as a result. In his book, he called it The Time Management Matrix from the third habit: Put First Things First. He also wrote a book on that subject.

The matrix was four boxes of activities. The left side was marked Urgent, the right side, Not Urgent. The two boxes on top were marked Important, and the two on the bottom, Not Important.

Quadrant I consisted of Urgent and Important activities, such as, Crises, Pressing Problems, Deadline-driven projects.

Quadrant II consisted of Not Urgent and Important activities, such as Prevention, PC (Production Capability, Preventative Care, Expansion) activities, Relationship building, Recognizing new opportunities, Planning, Recreation.

Quadrant III consisted of Urgent but Not Important activities, such as Interruptions, Some calls, Some mail, Some reports, Some meetings, Many proximate pressing matters, Popular activities.

Quadrant IV consisted of Not Urgent and Not Important activities, such as Trivia, Busywork, Some mail, Some phone calls, Time wasters, Pleasant activities.

"The key to effective management of self, or of others through delegation, is not in any technique or tool or extrinsic factor. It is intrinsic--in the Quadrant II paradigm that empowers you to see through the lens of importance rather than urgency." -- Stephen R. Covey

It seems that generally in the work world that to be in Quadrant II is not as valued because it is not physically active, or that they expect you do that on your own time. So much time as a manager is spent in Quadrants I and III, and a little in IV. If you're a manager, consider where you spend the majority of your time. After I read this book when it came out in 1989, I began looking more closely at my own activities at work.

This is where delegation comes in. As a manager, or as a commissioned salesperson, there are ways to either delegate tasks that keep you out of Quadrant II or to let them go entirely. I know that I have steadily improved on delegating. I think our company gets better the more time I have to think, plan and consider opportunities. I'm working toward 100% delegation . . .

Abraham, Esther Hicks has a great way to look at delegation: "Most people have a hard time delegating, or even wanting to delegate, because you have been justifying your existence through your hard work, and you equate success with struggle; you equate results with struggle. And so, you sort of wear your struggle like a badge of honor. And all of that is opposite of allowing the Well-being. The only thing that ever matters in success or achievement is achieving the things that you want to achieve. So if you are setting standards and you're feeling uncomfortable about the standards that you've set, tweak the standards back a little bit. Ratchet it back a notch. Give yourself a break. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Lighten up. Be easier. Go slower. Take it easy. Have more fun. Love yourself more. Laugh more. Appreciate more. All is well. You can't get it wrong. You never get it done."

That's definitely, Quadrant II stuff. . .


Enjoy! Live! Love! Be Yourself! Everything Is Fine. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of those urgent things. Chill.

Daily Inspiration 8-15-19

"When you want something

and you believe in opposition to it, 

your opposite belief will prevent

what you want from happening. 

When you want something 

and you believe it, 

there's no separation; 

you are offering one signal, 

and the Law of Attraction 

will bring it to you now." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 3-2-15]

Many years ago, I listened to a talk about how beliefs rule our lives. He called them legs of a table, and those legs are strong, and they will support the table and the table is our lives being lived. Everyone has beliefs, some stronger beliefs than others, so some tables are more steady than others, and so on.

I had heard and read a number of things about beliefs, and so the way he explained that it made sense to me from what I was reading, and from my view of life around me at that time.

The message from this talk and other readings was that beliefs were like your core knowledge and they were strong and steady truths that we hold to or ignore, but there they are to lean on when we need to. In other words, they were more like DNA where you were born with them, the way you were brought up and you learned them from your parents who gave you your DNA and they were cast and to escape them was extremely difficult.

It's funny how knowledge changes your view, and this description has in recent years become old school.

The most important thing that I have learned about beliefs came from Abraham, Esther Hicks: "The most powerful premise that we want to activate within you, that, we promise you, will serve you for all of the days of your life is: A belief is only a thought I keep thinking. A belief is only a thought I continue to think. A belief is only my habit of thought; it's only a practiced thought--a belief is only a thought that I think a lot." 

I used to believe that beliefs were static, rarely change, if ever, and here I was presented with the idea that beliefs were fluid, flexible, malleable, easily changed, only as strong as my continued thoughts allowed it to be.

Why is this important? Here's why from Abraham: "When you want something and you doubt it--when you want it and you don't believe it--now you're offering opposing Vibrations, and you can hold yourself in that holding pattern all of the days of your life.

"I want it but. . ."; "I want it but. . ."; "It'd be nice, but it doesn't happen for me"; "I would really like to have that, but I've wanted it for so long. . ." When you keep saying those things, when you continue to face reality, when you beat the drum of what-is, when you beat the drum of what-is--you hold active within yourself a Vibrational pattern. (A belief is only a thought you keep thinking.)

A belief is only a thought that you keep thinking--and it is only the beliefs that you hold that keep you from the things that you want. A belief is only a thought that you keep thinking. And the only thing that keeps you from who-you-really-are and what you really want is a belief, which is only a thought that you keep thinking. 

So if a belief is only a thought that I keep thinking, and I keep thinking a thought that is in opposition to what I want--then the reason I don't get what I want is because I keep thinking a thought that's in opposition to what I want." 

Why does this matter to me? Because I am empowered by it. Before it was just someone saying what they believed, but now I have useful knowledge, helpful knowledge that I can put to use to help me have the life that I really want instead of the life I've been getting. Instead of it being done to me and I have to find ways to deal with it, I can take control myself and change my life by changing my thoughts.

It means, instead of illness happening to me; instead of depression happening to me; instead of getting fired or losing my job happening to me; instead of being evicted happening to me; instead of being ripped off happening to me; instead of not having enough money or being broke happening to me; instead of all those things that used to 'happen' to me, come upon me, being dealt a bad hand, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, instead of attracting the wrong people, and a myriad of things that don't work out for me, I have the knowledge and the power to change all of that for the rest of my life by simply choosing different, more empowering thoughts, thinking them often and having them become my new in-alignment, self-empowered, righteously matching what I want not what I don't want beliefs.

That's why! We really are what we believe, and now I know that I can believe what I choose to believe. And, I choose to believe the things that help me find joy. I love learning this, and I was ready, even at my age. It's never too late to learn. It's never too late to change, or change direction. I can do it NOW.


Since A Belief Is Simply A Thought We Keep Thinking, It May Be Time To Get A New Thought . . .

Spread Some Joy Today--by believing what you choose to believe and what you are choosing feels like joy.

Daily Inspiration 8-14-19

"Don't demand or expect

that events happen

as you wish them to. 

Accept events

as they actually happen. 

That way, peace is possible."

-- Epictetus 

[Classic post from 3-1-15]

You're focused on doing something that is inviting your attention. It might be Facebook, working on a project, researching something, writing something, whatever. You feel the urge to pee. You don't want to stop. You want to keep going. But, it has dropped from your bladder to the final gateway to freedom. You try to ignore it. It's getting harder to focus. You try to use mind over matter and push it back into the bladder, but it has a will stronger than yours. You cross your legs, tap your feet, and you continue to try to focus. You want to get this done and getting up is such an inconvenience right now. You're on a roll. But now, the final gate is feeling like Hoover Dam about to break. Finally, you get up and go let go of it muttering under your breath the whole way to the bathroom. Then, after the gates have released the pressure, you feel normal again. You even feel energized. You feel relief. You feel good.

All of that resistance to getting up and going to the bathroom is frustration. The best definition of frustration I've seen is that frustration is wanting things to be different than they are. Frustration is a negative emotional response to how we are thinking about a situation in a given time. Most of my life, I just thought it was normal. As I look around me, I see that it certainly is common.

Our frustration can cause us to focus on this thing that is happening that we do not want, creating deeper frustration, with thoughts added to by the Law of Attraction, and we may often find more negative emotions to deal with. On Abraham's Emotional Scale, frustration is at 10 of the 22 spots. Below frustration is some common emotions you may recognize, such as overwhelment, disappointment, doubt, worry, blame, discouragement, anger (been there a few times. . .).

How many times have you been frustrated and seen these other emotions coming around? Going down the emotional scale will keep us in a funk affecting much of what we are trying to do, and it certainly messes with our enjoyment.

The best thing is to recognize this frustration emotion, realize that you are feeling and talking about that with others or within yourself. Then, you have the power to move up the Emotional Scale rather than down it. It's only a couple of steps to contentment, then next is hope. Once you get to hope, the rest of the journey is easy. Skip right through optimism right into enthusiasm, and back into your joy. Or, stay where you are and do it the way you want. It's all a choice each of us has. And, once you get to this place of knowing that you have this power over your environment, you will find it nearly impossible to go back to your ignorance of it.

I think the thing that I wanted to change in my life the most was to get the hell away from frustration. It felt totally crappy. I tried like all get out to change the circumstances--to push against that thing or the other that I imagined was creating this negative situation, but that offered little in the way of progress.

Then there was one more thing that got in the way. I used to use my frustration about circumstances, events, and other people as an excuse to not do something I didn't want to do. Since it is such a common thing in our lives, people relate to and give sympathy and otherwise understand how you can be so upset that you can't do this thing, or go somewhere, etc. Hey, after all, it happens to everyone, right?

Since I have learned this Emotional Scale thing from Abraham and Esther Hicks in the book, Ask and It Is Given, I feel so empowered and so confident that even though I may feel a negative emotion, I realize that it is the guidance for me rather than trying to bring me down. Instead of that feeling being negative in my life, it becomes a positive, because knowing what I don't want and realizing that this is what I am thinking about, I know better what I do want: I want to feel good. Then, I make a decision to find a better feeling thought, then another, and so on until I am feeling good. I can now do that very quickly, sometimes in just a few seconds, other times it takes maybe minutes.

I see people frustrated at work, at home, with their spouses, in business dealings, in politics--in fact, in every point of our lives. I've experienced it in all of them. We can keep doing that, or do something about it. Whatever choice anyone makes is fine, but there are choices other than frustration.


My Choice Is To Feel Good. How About You? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking the time to find out how to have it more often.

Daily Inspiration 8-13-19

"The current opinion 

 that others hold regarding you 

 has far more to with 

how they are feeling." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 2-23-15]

Abraham continues, "There is perhaps no greater waste of time and effort than that of trying to influence the way other people see you because what they see has very little to do with their object of attention and everything to do with the vantage point from which they are looking." 

I thought it was sort of natural based on the way I grew up that when people were angry at me, that means that I did something that caused them to be angry and their response was appropriate and it was all my fault. Even when it didn't seem like I should have been at fault, I accepted their opinion of my actions or lack of action that caused them unhappiness. They blamed me, and I accepted it and took the punishment. Sometimes angry yelling was the punishment, sometimes it was more. 

Consequently, I grew up learning to try so hard to please my parents and teachers and authority figures so that I didn't have the pain of the punishment, whether verbal or physical. I tried hard to please and went way out of my way to do extra things to bring positive attention to myself, rather than negative attention.

I carried much of that way into adulthood, but thankfully, I began to learn how to hear without accepting, and let it bounce off as if I had a secret shield.

Abraham advises, "If you will release all concern about how others feel about you, and focus only upon how you feel about them, you will unearth your core understanding of who-you-really-are, and you will discover what true freedom really is. . . True freedom is found in the absence of resistance. . . True freedom is the discovery of maintaining unconditional love."

For the majority of my life, when someone would find fault with me or lash out in anger toward me, I would cower and then I would fight back. This caused as much or more pain than taking the abuse. As I began to pay attention to what I was getting out of it, I could see so clearly that fighting back was pointless. Most often, it served to extend the conflict. I began to learn to respect myself a little bit more and to see if I could take it without losing it on my end. As I worked on this, I made progress. 

In very recent years, I mostly overcame it by not taking it personally, realizing that it was not me, it was the other and how they were feeling, then I could look at them with love and hear a different message than the one I was hearing before. I began to practice loving them without any condition, just accepting them as they were with understanding and desire for them to feel better. I have Abraham to thank for the majority of the guidance there to help me see a more loving way.


Love Is Always The Answer. Funny How That Works. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply enjoying yourself today. No worries, mate.

Daily Inspiration 8-12-19

"The path of least resistance 

is the path of the loser." 

-- H. G. Wells 

[Classic post from 2-24-15]

Now here's a guy who loves to struggle. Struggle with this, struggle with that; in fact, the greater the struggle, the greater the reward? Hmmm. Sounds fishy to me. Although this whole idea of overcoming through struggling seems like it was invented by a macho man. Resistance makes me stronger. The more I fight, the stronger I get. Well, everyone has an opinion and a belief, and I will have to let that one be his or theirs.

I think that there isn't anything wrong with the easy way in every endeavor. Easy money. Easy love. Easy peasy. The life of ease. The opposite of dis-ease. I rather like skipping through rather than cutting my way through.

There is so much resistance going on in most lives, including my own, so I'm going to spend the next several days talking about the various ways we resist without even realizing it.

Abraham, Esther Hicks describes what I've come to know this way: "Your natural state is one of wellness, one of absolute health, one of the perfect bodily conditions--and if you are experiencing anything other than that, it is only because the balance of thought within you is toward the lack of what you want instead of what you do want."

They continue, "Resistance is caused by focusing upon the lack of what is wanted. . . . Allowing is caused by focusing up what is wanted. . . . Resistance is caused by the thought that doesn't match the perspective of your Source. . . . Allowing is experienced when your current thoughts do match the perspective of your Source."

Resistance can be big and affect life or death, or it can just be something that irritates you. The most interesting part is that if we focus on the resistance which is an accepted norm, we will create more resistance and more of what we do not want. Once we get to a point where we realize what is going on there, we get to choose how we will respond, how we will feel, and that determines how everything works out or doesn't work out.

On the very simple end of this stick is something like I was noticing this afternoon driving home from an appointment. There seemed to be a number of very anxious people to get through four lanes of traffic by zigging and zagging, creating a bit of danger here and there at 70 miles per hour, concerned only about their own desire to get there. Usually, the far left lane is called the fast lane, but these people make their own choices. It seems so silly to me like the rabbit in Alice In Wonderland, so I am laughing.

Then, exiting the freeway and now on a two-lane city street with a 35 mph speed limit, a pickup truck speeds around me at a much higher speed and then slips in front of me seemingly to scream at me that I'm going way too slow by going close to the speed limit. But they get behind the guy that was in front of me and so now it becomes a race of who will get to the stoplight the fastest. So, that made me start laughing. Who can get to the red light the fastest? Is that success? Interesting. . . . and that seems like such a silly zero-sum game, so I laugh some more.

There were a number of other situations in my rearview mirror. I see people seeing how close to my rear bumper they can get without actually hitting me. Of course, they are clueless about my own intentions. I might jam on the brakes for a chipmunk or something and get whiplash and, well. . . I don't want to go there. That is just more resistance. So, I start laughing again.

Now, in the recent past, I would internally, if not externally, want to give them the finger, or at the very least be talking about how close they are and what idiots they are and I wish they would get off my ass, or I would ask them if they can smell it yet, and well. . . you may have had similar thoughts, or maybe you're more evolved. All of that is resistance. I know it because I am feeling negative emotion.

Today, I take the path of least resistance (sound familiar?) and just laugh and have fun and enjoy the choices they make. I see them upset and allow them to feel any way they choose. I might even become enlightened and wish them well and that their evening will be so much better than their day has obviously gone. Or, sometimes, I just immediately pull over to the other lane and let them go by.


We All Have Our Way. Sometimes, We All Need A Little More Love. By The Way, Love Is THE Path Of Least Resistance. In Fact, It Is The Place Where Resistance Cannot Exist.

Spread Some Joy Today--by not caring who gets to the stoplight first. Heck, you don't even have to play the game. . .

Daily Inspiration 8-11-19

"Persistence wears down resistance." 

-- William J. Federer 

[Classic post from 2-25-15]

Really? Persistence to me is more like dedication, as in, I'm dedicating myself to getting this thing done. Trying to wear down resistance simply indicates a very long and arduous journey toward what you do not want. Resistance is focusing on what you do not want and then trying to use nothing but action to turn it into something you do want. What a waste of time and energy this would be.

Since I've dealt with salespeople most of my life, including the fact that I started on that path in 1972, I have experienced it myself and have seen plenty of others try to overcome resistance, power through, make it happen. You can tell that they are doing something they do not want to do and then trying through action and determination to succeed at the strange and interesting task of making a sale.

After so many years of watching, even teaching this idea, I've come to realize that I wasn't really helping anyone with that approach. I used to use this famous quote from President Calvin Coolidge: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." That quote always reminds me of the quote from Yoda in Star Wars: "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."

What I've learned in the most recent years more fully is that success is less about action and more about focus. It is less about activity and more about attitude. It is less about doing and more about preparation. It is less about holding on, and more about letting go. In other words, if it is a struggle, persistence may move the needle a bit, but it won't get the job done, nor will there be much of any satisfaction in it. The best way to say it is that we need to love what we do and do it with joy; that is, without resistance, for when we are trying hard to do that which is full of resistance, we are focused on overcoming what we do not want. What a hard row to hoe that is. It's like trying to hoe through stone instead of dirt.

What Calvin Coolidge could have said would be this: "Let us focus our thoughts and energy on what we want to achieve. Let us find all the positive aspects of it and talk about that, think about that, and build momentum. As we use our thoughts and energies in this manner, we cannot lose. It is our focus and good feeling thoughts about what we are doing that will always come through."

Now I try to teach salespeople to get happy and to focus on what they want. I want them to find ways to make it fun and to simply enjoy themselves. Sales is all about relationships: building them and nurturing them and maintaining them. It is about liking and loving people. It is about seeing how you can solve some of their problems with your product and/or services. It is about the sheer joy of learning about other people, their interests, their issues, their joys, and their wants or needs. It is about finding new friends, and we can always use more friends. It is about sharing. It is about caring. And if it isn't done because you want to do this, it won't last very long.

I want them to focus on what they want, why they want it and not so much about how they will get it, and for sure and for certain, I want them to stay focused there and not give any attention at all to what has not yet happened. When they focus on the fact that they only have 4 units out and their minimum expected is 8, focusing there will pretty much guarantee that 8 will not happen, because they are focusing on what they do not want, or rather, the lack of what they want. They are focused then on not being there yet and that only leads to more of not being there.

So, you might think this is all about salespeople today. It is about everything we do in life. It is about our relationships with our family, friends, co-workers, the world. It is about our dreams and how they can become a reality. It is about allowing things to come about rather than making them move. It is about letting go rather than holding on.

Resistance always comes with negative emotion. When you pay attention and notice that feeling and feel that tightness, tenseness, and the struggle as if you're having a tug-o-war with something or someone, this is time to let go. Just drop the rope and let go. When it is a struggle, that is resistance, and this makes life hard. It creates illness. It creates all manner of negative things in our lives. When we let go and focus on what we want and why we want it without any attention to how we are going to get it, and then allow it into our lives, it flows and it feels good. Then the actions we take will come with far better results.


Struggle Or Joy? Hmmmm. . . .

Spread Some Joy Today--by focusing on what you want and enjoying yourself in the process.

Daily Inspiration 8-10-19

"Freedom is not given to us by anyone; 

we have to cultivate it ourselves. 

It is a daily practice." 

-- Thich Nhat Hanh 

[Classic post from 2-20-15]

I think it is often true that we just do whatever we do day after day with little or no intention about our doing, and at the same time, there may be little thought if any as to why we do what we do.

Oh sure, it's easy enough to say I go to work to earn the money to live a comfortable life. But is that the whole of it? Is that the whole reason? Or, is there more? Or, are we sometimes trading our freedom for the sake of that.

When was the last time you stopped working for a few hours and went to see a movie, or went window shopping, or went to a park and chilled? The refreshment from something like this can boost your morale, creativity, and outlook. There is freedom in this. Freedom comes from our choosing and it also comes from our choices.

Wayne Dyer is famous for saying, "our intention creates our reality." It's just five words, and I think that phrase is very accurate. Are we doing what we intend? A better way to say it may be, are we doing what we do on purpose? With purpose?

Do you absolutely love what you do? Do you get up every morning and can't wait to enjoy another day on planet Earth? If not, then knowing why you do what you do can be a very powerful tool toward that, or toward something more to your liking. And, I mean a better answer than to 'make a living.' You could use your Book of Positive Aspects and write out all the reasons that you do what you do--all the benefits, all the ways it helps you enjoy your life, how it benefits your family, contributes to the economy, all the things you like or love about what you do, and more.

Freedom is our choice. It comes from our intentions, and by intending, we are creating our lives deliberately. In other words, the more often we are taking the short time that it might take to intend what we want to see, experience, be, do or have, the more that will not only become true and be in our reality, the more we will enjoy ourselves, our minutes, hours, and years. There are so many ways to choose our freedom every single day. Another way to say it is in every day and every segment of every day to decide what we want and to focus our attention there rather than follow our habitual patterns.

Abraham & Esther Hicks has a great way to do this and I have it up on my wall in my office: "Today, no matter where I'm going, no matter what I'm doing, no matter who I'm doing it with, it is my dominant intent to look for and find things that feel good when I see them, when I hear them, when I smell them, when I taste them, when I touch them. It is my dominant intent to solicit, experience, and exaggerate and talk about and revel in, the best of what I see around me here and now." 

This is not really like work. It isn't hard to do. It simply requires giving thought to what you want today, for the next few hours, during this meeting, when you walk in the door after work, and more. The only way to get better at it and more consistent at it is to practice it, which is the same thing as doing it on purpose. Make that an intention. When I do this, I feel more freedom. I feel more alive. I feel more in the present. I feel more joy, and I get better results while enjoying myself more. I've become excited about what Abraham calls Segment Intending, and what Wayne Dyer calls the Power of Intention. 


Happy Choosing Your Freedom Day! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by intending it.

Daily Inspiration 8-9-19

"You never help others
when you allow yourself 
to be a sounding board 
for their complaints." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks

[Classic post from 2-19-15]

Commiseration with another or their commiseration with you will only draw more of the subject to the party. I used to do this a lot. I would listen to people's complaints, agree with their emotional conclusions about things; the inappropriateness, and acknowledge the random emotional pain inflicted by another for an unknowable reason.

Then, for some reason, I began to feel uncomfortable when others were complaining of their lives, while I still complained about my own. People didn't listen so much to mine either, so I would just go over and over it in my mind. And, finally, at some point, I realized that my own complaining had no value, so I chose to stop for the most part, but not totally.

Now, I avoid it at all costs because I know the detrimental value of focusing there. I also know the detrimental value of being a sounding board for others. I am now in alignment with Abraham's partial quote above. Here is the full quote:

"You never help others when you allow yourself to be a sounding board for their complaints. Seeing them as you know they want to be is the most valuable thing you can do for them. Sometimes that means removing yourself from their vicinity because when you are near them, it is difficult not to notice their complaints. You might say to them, "I've learned the power of my attention and thought, and so as I hear you speaking of what I know you don't want, I must tell you that I must remove myself, for I don't want to contribute to your miscreating." Try to distract them from their complaints; try to help them focus upon some positive aspects. . . do you best to imagine their recovery.

You will know when you are of value to anyone when you are able to think about the person and feel good at the same time. When you love others without worry, you are an advantage to them. When you enjoy them, you help them. When you expect them to succeed, you help them. In other words, when you see them as your own Inner Being sees them, then and only then is your association with them to their advantage." 

Quite often though, we may instead be feeling sorry for them, thinking we are softening their pain by discussing the problems with them. If our focus is on something other than their own upliftment, by seeing them as they really want to be, we only add to their problems while we think we are giving them love. It is not only not helpful, but it also isn't really loving.

Next time you see someone, or hear someone telling you or others what is going wrong in their lives, mentally, if not verbally, lift them up, help get them to focus on what is right in their lives, what is going well, finding better feeling thoughts for themselves, and then you can really be of value.

I try to do this all the time now, and although I may not be successful all the time, I am so far beyond the place I once was, and I find that I have been helpful to many. I am grateful for learning these insights. I'm certain it has changed my life for the better more than anyone else's.


Being Of Real Service Means Uplifting Others. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because joy always feels good in the giving as well as in the receiving.