Daily Inspiration 1-31-20

"Enjoying life is far superior 

to being graded on 

your performance in life." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-16-15]

As I read this quote above, I was pondering the idea of quitting. We start things and then at some point we quit them, or a softer way to say it--stop doing that thing. It seems like a natural progression much like being born and then dying. And sometimes, people make a big deal about stopping something, and may even experience a whole bunch of stress or anxiety over it.

I think the answer is in the quote above. I have come to a place in my life as I have mentioned many times where my only goal is simply and exquisitely to enjoy myself. As we are focusing on enjoying ourselves, enjoying our lives, that is what we seek and often, ceasing something would enhance that feeling.

We've been graded, judged, encouraged, caged by the idea of performance as a measure of well-being since we were born. Right, wrong, good, bad, A or F and pluses and minuses, just a very few grades and judgments we've been dealt with. We may have even accepted all of that because when we did good, got A's, we were probably rewarded in some way to encourage us to continue on that path.

Then, maybe we've lived a bit of life, a family of our own, careers, 401k's, planning for retirement, and much more, and all of those things come with grades and judgment too. Maybe we accepted all of that too using Ward and June Cleaver as a shining example of success.

Then, there may have been things that you started. A business, a club, a career, and it is full of problems and it wears on you. You wish it would be better, but it is showing no signs. You're tired. You want out. But it was all your idea. There are other people involved. The list goes on. You feel bad that it is not going well, you feel bad that you have not found a way to make it work better, you feel bad because other people may suffer in some way, you feel bad because your legacy would be tarnished. You just feel bad everywhere you look.

So, you quit. There is a bit of relief, but you feel guilty and sad and down. You wish it went faster and you can't wait until you get to the place where you can feel good again. You've found some really good reasons to quit and it seems that everyone understands. It's life, you know. Stuff happens. We have to deal with it, and life isn't always a bed of roses.

I know how this feels because I've experienced it much this way. I've started things and quit things. I've started businesses and quit them. I started a marriage and quit it. I've started hundreds of little things and quit them. I'm familiar with quitting and the associated negative emotions that seemed to come along with that.

That has changed. If we are to truly enjoy our lives, we need to understand that choice is our real power in life. If our focus is on feeling good, enjoying ourselves and enjoying our lives, then whatever we choose simply needs to be in alignment with our joy. Following your bliss is perfectly stated. When the bliss has turned into pain, it is time for a change. We need to love ourselves enough to make whatever changes will cause us to enjoy our lives more. If quitting will do that, then quitting is in order. No need for a long list of reasons. One reason is sufficient. We want to follow our bliss and our bliss has moved on. Thank you for the opportunity, I am moving on.


Enjoy Your Travels. Follow Your Own Bliss. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by following your joy.

Daily Inspiration 1-30-20

"Change the way you look at things 

and the things you look at change." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-15-15]

We're learning every day of our lives, and I have found an interesting tidbit about that. Sometimes when I am talking with someone about a situation, out of my mouth comes something that I didn't know I knew--or at least didn't know I knew so clearly.

Then I stand amazed at what just came out of my mouth. Where did that come from? It sounded like the perfect thing at the perfect time. And here's another tidbit that is interesting: It might be the perfect thing at the perfect time for me to see it more than for the other to hear it. As the other may argue for their previous position, and I may be clarifying further my thoughts on it, they may continue to stay where they are, but I have moved. It's sort of like being the teacher and the student at exactly the same time.

There is something special about verbal expression and that may even be enhanced by argument, disagreement, or resistance. One thing that I have clearly learned about disagreement and resistance is that I don't face it for very long. I call it 'swimming upstream.' In younger days, I might swim for a long time to my peril, but I have learned from past experience that a few strokes is fine, but there is no need or benefit in creating negative emotion within myself.

So the other day I had a conversation. A scenario was described and I answered it in a couple different ways. The first was to explain what I knew from my own experience about improvements within that entity. That was brief. The second was to explain how to change it. As I was stating that, this is where I found that I understood what I knew more than I might have imagined. It's like taking it from theory to actual practice. That message expressed very simplistically was that when we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.

Now you might be thinking that this is a well-worded phrase and it sounds good and all that, but I live in the real world and I see what I see and it is real. The problem is real. It is happening to me. I can't change it. They have to change it. I wish someone would get them to change it. I feel powerless to change it. And so on. Well, you're right. It is that way. However, it is as much the other way of seeing it differently and having it change as it is to see it the same and have it not change. We have so much more power than we think we do inside of us.

It comes down to another simplified way of looking at things: we can't get a positive result from thinking negatively. We cannot be complaining about something and have it become as we would like it to be. Complaining will bring more of what we are complaining about. If we are talking about how someone failed us, there will be more failures to talk about on the horizon. The Law of Attraction is always in operation and it doesn't care what we are thinking. It simply and perfectly finds other similar or like thoughts and situations and brings them to our experience. Fighting that powerful force is not an option.

How does it change? It changes for the better when we do. It changes for the better when we see it for the better. I think that the best that we can do, whether it is a situation, a company, a child, a friend, an associate, is to see it or them the way that we want them to be--to see them as their best selves. If we had a child that has gone down a dark path of drugs and poor choices, the more we focus on that or on fighting that, the more of that comes. When we focus on seeing them as whole, well, inspired, enthusiastic, living the life they deserve, that is how we can be of service. The same holds true with the world, our government, our politicians, and virtually everything in life. We, at the same time, must live in the same way. All change begins with us.

One last note. Some might think that by doing this I am denying reality, or that I am in denial, so to speak. I have learned that facing reality is not really the virtue that so many think it is. If all we look at is what is, all we will have is more of the same. For the world, companies we deal with, people we have relationships with, to change, we must change. And, when we change, they all change. When we see something not to our liking, as we choose to look at it differently, that thing changes. I see it all the time now and I'm accepting responsibility to have the world I would love to have.


We Become What We Think About. How We See The World Is The Way It Is. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing to see joy wherever you go today.

Daily Inspiration 1-29-20

"Love is my gift to the world. 

I fill myself with love, 

and I sent that love 

out into the world." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-14-15]

Just two weeks ago, as I'm sure you know, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer passed from this physical life at the age of 75. To say that he had lived a full life is a severe understatement. To say that he has touched and shared his love with millions around the globe is his ongoing legacy.

Wayne was my mentor. He was a mentor to millions. I never had the pleasure of meeting him or seeing him in person, but I have seen a lot of video from his PBS Specials, his movie, The Shift, and many others. I began reading Wayne's books from the very first mass publication of Your Erroneous Zones and followed him through much of his career. In the last couple of years, I have read several of his books, and especially delighted in his autobiographical recent book, I Can See Clearly Now. In that book, I learned so much more about his life and it is a fascinating read, and I listened to the unabridged audio with him telling his own story. Fantastic.

I think what I liked best about Wayne was his willingness to be himself, including his human issues much of which we all have dealt with over time. To me he was real, and the real deal. He taught me so much, was passionate about other authors and helping them too, many that I read as a result of his encouragement and belief in them. He has helped mold much of my thinking, and in so many ways has improved my life by helping me be more of who I really am.

What more could you ask of a mentor? He will continue to be a mentor to me for as long as I am here. And, his messages will live a long life on their own for millions more to learn and grow from. I am a better person as a result of his desire to share his thoughts and his knowledge and his humanity.


I Am So Grateful To All My Mentors. The List Is Long. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting your gratitude flow for your teachers.

Daily Inspiration 1-28-20

"The difference between trying and doing 

is measured by the word 'effort.' 

But the measurement scale is backward." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-13-15]

It seems that the harder we try, the more effort we expend, and so also then, the more effort we expend, the harder we are trying. However, doing is without great effort. Bruce Lee put it this way: "The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be."

What's that old saying by William Edward Hickson? (Who?) "'Tis a lesson you should heed: try, try again. If at first, you don't succeed, try, try again." This might be the same as saying, "more effort, more effort, more effort." After all, isn't expending effort what trying is? I'm going to make an effort. I'm going to try. It seems to me they are saying the same thing.

I like how Ralph Waldo Emerson changed effort into ease: "Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it, nothing great was ever achieved." Of course, I think a better way to say that is that 'Enthusiasm is the mother of ease. . . because it makes doing a breeze!'

Next time you're thinking about something to do, skip trying, skip the effort, just go straight to doing it. You'll see what I mean. Want to do it faster and even easier? Allow enthusiasm to en-light-en your path.


Doing Is Effort-Less. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because it is your natural state. It requires zero effort.

Daily Inspiration 1-27-20

"What happens to you 

happens from you." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-12-15]

If we have come to believe that we create our own reality, at least in part, then what happens to us happens from us. Yet, initially, this is hard to swallow. It took me a while and I've been studying it like a scholar. It flies in the face of the way the world seems to be, especially in the news of negative events around the world. It is hard to believe when we're feeling victimized and that things just happen to us seemingly at random and without regard for our goodness. So, naturally, from our learning, we would reject the statement that what happens to us happens from us out of disbelief.

Yet, once this idea is allowed to mingle in my mind, and I play around with it, considering, testing it and allowing it to grow in influence, I see the perfection of it. As a result of my desire to know it and to allow it in, I now know without a doubt that every single thing that has occurred in my life has been of my own creation.

I also know that most of my life I was creating my own reality by default, or maybe a better way to say that is creating unconsciously. It's like the Law of Attraction. Some people believe in it and some don't, but it doesn't matter because belief or disbelief doesn't change the law or its function. It is. It is always on.

We can't stop it if we wanted to. It just is. We can either pay attention and help it to bring us what we want or take it as it comes. Either way, it comes. I think creating our own reality is exactly the same, and the Law of Attraction is doing it for us anyway, so I would rather create the reality I would prefer. Or, at the very least, accept responsibility for the reality that I have created that is not to my liking.

What changes when this concept is allowed and accepted? Everything. There is no such thing as an innocent victim. There is no such thing as an evil perpetrator. There is no such thing as random things happening to me. What I see in my life is what I have created and allowed. I am responsible. No one else is responsible. We can choose to co-create with others and share in creation. I am no longer the pinball, but the player. I control the game.

That's a big responsibility. It is also complete freedom, joy, and love. It frees me to affect whatever change I want or to accept wherever I am as my own doing. I can no longer look at the news and see what they are trying to tell me as true. I don't see heroes or villains or saviors. I see other people choosing how to live their lives. I love them as they are where they are. They don't affect me unless I allow them into my life.

It reminds me of how Abraham, Esther Hicks used to describe the contrast by giving the picture of us being in a glorious kitchen: "Imagine yourself as a chef in an extremely well-stocked kitchen that contains every imaginable ingredient. Let us say that you have a clear idea of the culinary creation you desire, and you understand how to combine these easily accessible ingredients in order to fulfill your desire. And as you proceed, there are many ingredients that are not appropriate for your creation, so you do not utilize them, but you also feel no discomfort about their existence. You simply utilize the ingredients that will enhance your creation--and you leave the ingredients that are not appropriate for your creation out of your pie. 

Some of the ingredients in the well-stocked kitchen are harmonious with your creation, and some of them are not. But even though adding some of these ingredients to your creation would absolutely ruin your pie, you do not feel the need to push against those ingredients, or to ban them from the kitchen, because you understand that there is no reason for them to end up in your pie unless you put them in it. And since you are clear about which ones enhance your creation and which ones do not enhance it, you feel no concern about the great variety of ingredients that exist." 

I love that analogy because I have come to believe that I create my own reality and through an understanding of that, I accept responsibility for my thoughts and my resultant emotions and my actions or lack of action too. What I think, say, feel and do is of my own design. And, even though sometimes I have been designing with my eyes closed, I now fully realize what joy and delight come when I design with my eyes open.

It is pretty much impossible to change when we are victims of life. After all, the whole idea of a victim is that we have no control or very limited control. However, once I have grasped the concept and accepted the responsibility for my own creations, change is a given. I can change at will and enjoy the change. I can change on purpose and with purpose rather than adapt to the circumstance. I am in charge of what I think and no one else could ever be. I am in charge of what I do and say. No one else ever could. There is no one to blame because I choose. There is nothing to complain about because I created it and I allowed it in. This is the most powerful place that we can be in our lives. It is living fully and delightfully on purpose with eyes wide open.


What Happens To Me Happens From Me. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying your personal freedom.

Daily Inspiration 1-26-20

"I am prepared for the worst, 

but hope for the best." 

-- Benjamin Disraeli 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-11-15]

It is a common phrase that I used to hear a lot when I was young: Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, or hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, or trust in God, but tie up your camels, or Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief and many more.

What a great way to build a house, right? Prepare for it to collapse, but hope for it to keep standing. I assume from a positive point of view that we would not only make sure we do our work properly, but that we are paying attention to the whole work, including design, stresses, and so on, while at the same time thinking what a grand home this will be for some family soon.

Here's an interesting statement from Abraham, Esther Hicks on this subject:

""I must be aware of bad things, and guarded about bad things, and I must watch out for bad things by trying to guide myself toward good things." You can't do both at the same time. You can't watch out for bad things, and allow good things at the same time. It is vibrationally not possible." 

Another way to see this is as being in a race on the track and you're focused on not tripping and falling, not losing, not running out of breath or energy, not getting a cramp, and then at the same time trying to focus on winning the race.


Which Do You Suppose Prevails? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of your need to be right.

Daily Inspiration 1-25-20

"Meditation is a state of allowing." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-10-15]

I'm a relative beginner to the whole idea of meditating, but I am really starting to get into it. I used to think it was weird, strange, that I had to have this "Ohmmm" thing going on, sitting in that guru meditation position that my body refuses to allow, and much more. In other words, I didn't know much of anything about it, yet I had all kinds of preconceived notions from all sorts of movies, religious teachings and more. I guess a better way to say it is that I was confused. I didn't know what to do and every other source had a different way to do it. No wonder it was hard.

Abraham, Esther Hicks made it easy. Here are some of their thoughts on meditation and the value of it:

"For 10 or 15 minutes every day, we would quiet our mind in meditation; we would close our eyes; we would be aware of breathing air into our lungs, and our intention would be nothing more than being in this moment and being consciously aware of our breathing. . . nothing to do other than breathe--not fixing breakfast, not combing hair, not wondering how someone is doing, not thinking about yesterday, not worrying about tomorrow, not focusing on anything in this moment except air in and air out. 

Meditation is a state of allowing where, for just a few moments, you stop trying to make anything happen. It is a time when you are saying to your Source Energy, to your Inner Being, to your God (or whatever you want to call it): Here I am, in a state of allowing Source Energy to flow purely through me. Fifteen minutes of effort will change your life. It will allow the Energy that is natural to you to flow; you will feel better in the moment, and you will feel more energized when you come out of it. 

A big benefit from meditation that you will notice right away is that things you have been wanting will begin showing up. Now, why is this? Why does 15-minutes of just being, set those kinds of things in motion? Because you have already been asking, and now, during your time of meditation, you have stopped the resistance that has been holding it at bay. Because of your practiced meditation, you are now allowing your desires to flow into your experience." 

It's not about making things happen. It's about allowing. It's about letting go of all thoughts and their corresponding emotions. It's about the release. It's about letting go of the rope. It's about surrender to the higher power within us. And, it is also a way to better things, better health, and a better life.


It Is Amazing The Power In Letting Go Of The Power. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply being willing to chill. Take a break. Relax.

Daily Inspiration 1-24-20

"Don't judge each day 

by the harvest you reap 

but by the seeds that you plant." 

-- Robert Louis Stevenson 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-9-15]

It's been a long time since I've seen this wonderful quote, and in our physical life, we are so action-oriented that it is so easy to interpret this quote as being about what you do, or how you do it. I used to think it was all about action--making things happen.

In Napoleon Hill's international classic from 1937, the first words in the first chapter are, as I was reminded by Jeffrey Gitomer in his newsletter today: "Truly, "thoughts are things," and powerful things at that." Then, when I saw this quote by Robert Louis Stevenson, I had an "ah-ha" moment: Seeds of thought.

So often, we might be thinking, what do I need to do, or what did I do today toward my objectives? When, it would be more fruitful to ask, what do I need to think or what have been my thoughts today? Or, even better to indicate my thinking, how have I been feeling today? How am I feeling when I think about these things?

Action is a derivative of thought. It reminds me of my favorite pastime--movies. There is no action until there is a thought. There is no action until there is a story. There is no action without a script. There is no action without the writer.

The glamorous movie star is a beggar without a writer writing the story, creating the images of activity and the dialogue that the actors will imitate and speak. It very well may be the actors who bring the story to life on the screen, but it is the writer who brings to life the story so that actors can apply their skills and take the credit for the success or failure of the film.

Whatever we want, how are we starting out? It is the thought that attracts more of the same, expanding and growing into more. The only question--and the real question is--what are those thoughts? How do they feel? Are we feeling good? The good will come. Are we not feeling good? Then no good can come. We can't plant corn and get potatoes, just like we can't plant negative thoughts and get a positive outcome.


What Seeds Of Thought Are We Sowing? 

Spread Some Joy Today--It's easy. Just be you. Smile. And just be you.

Daily Inspiration 1-23-20

"You can perfect stuff 

and it destroys all the interesting 

bumps and imperfections." 

-- Chris Clark, 

from the I Dream of Wires documentary

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-8-15]

I watched an interesting (well, at least to me. . .) documentary the other day called, I Dream of Wires. It is a 90-minute history of the music synthesizer. I knew just a tidbit of the history of electronic music but learned so much more watching this great movie. As a musician, I used to own two synthesizers, but they were two of the very common, yet not "real" synthesizers. The original real ones would take up a wall in a good-sized room. 

Regardless of whether the documentary or synthesized music means anything to you, I thought you could relate to one of the quotes I gleaned from it. The idea of the synthesizer was to not only create strangely different music but more perfectly controlled sounds. I thought about how that relates to people and our lives, careers and our personal goals and such. Indeed, even--or maybe even especially--about our children or young people in general.

When we are striving for and expecting perfection, we leave behind imperfection which is exactly where our character, our uniqueness, our individual spirit resides. Part of culture and character both is celebrating the differences. What blandness would prevail in a perfect world? In fact, I could make a case that there would be no point whatsoever to the achievement of that. It would be endedness. 

Several days ago I shared a phrase that came into my head unexpectedly. It was three words: Preference vs. Prejudice. When we are seeking or thinking perfection, anything that doesn't fit in that space is prejudged as inferior. It is prejudicial to our goal. We think it is a preference, but it is not because preference honors all other forms not chosen.

I could write about a hundred and one examples. When I was in high school, I loved baseball and was actually fairly good at it, yet I was almost always chosen last by the team captains. This was purely prejudiced without any sort of real appreciation of the differences that come to make a real team function well. It was all silly stuff, but a good example of common prejudice.

We see magazines, billboards, and other media showing off very thin women with so-called perfect clothing, makeup, hair, and nails. These are shown as the goal of perfection or what every man and woman wants. This is total prejudice. It is not preference either because it is not honoring the things or people or images of other shapes and sizes and dress of other women. It might be something some men want, and some women want, but a smaller group than we might think.

It is our imperfections that entice. It is that crooked smile of Holly Hunter in the movie, The Firm, along with the so un-Tom Cruise-like character played by David Strathairn who so loved that crooked smile. And, as she said, "Well, It's not my best feature!" David's character was amazed. "Well. . . what is, sweetheart? (I love the movie, but that is my favorite scene in the whole movie)

The kid getting straight A's in school was the holy grail. I did it one quarter in one school year in third grade. Never to be repeated again. My uniqueness remained intact! I made it through with all my imperfections. And, I think we all are far better off with our idiosyncrasies and imperfections. Screw the perfect world. Oops. That was prejudicial, wasn't it!?


I Exercise My Preference And Gladly Choose The Imperfect And Delightfully Flawed. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Why the heck not? Got something better to do?

Daily Inspiration 1-22-20

"Worry is not a form of love." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-7-15]

I want to share some words of wisdom I gleaned from an Abraham, Esther Hicks DVD that I wrote down some time back because it seemed like it reached out and grabbed me and said, "Hey, Terry. You might want to write this down! Just saying." So, how could I refuse such a request, and I wrote it down. It was called Tools for Teaching:

"Do not allow yourself to be a sounding board for discontent. Don't let people practice a vibration that doesn't serve them with you." 

I thought that part was very telling. How many times in my past had I listened to friends, relatives, lovers, complaining about whatever, with me listening and even adding fuel here and there knowing full well that it wasn't serving either of us in the continued attention? I love that line: Do not allow yourself to be a sounding board for discontent. I don't anymore, mostly because I no longer attract it. 

"Don't try to convince people that they are wrong in their discord." 

As I was learning a better way for me, I thought that everyone should know it too, and I would try to 'turn people around' so to speak in their unhappiness. I wanted to see them happy, of course, but I finally learned to let people have their unhappiness or discord. I cannot change them, but I can love them where they are and allow them to be where they are. If they want to change it, they will attract that change. They have the power within. The best I can do is simply be an example of well-being.

"It's right when you feel bad that you are not getting what you want." 

It sounds strange to say that it is right when you feel bad, but it is true. Our emotions are our internal guidance system. When we are feeling bad, our internal guidance system is telling us that our current thoughts are in discord with our inner being, our God within, our soul, or whatever terms you might rather use. An easy way to say it is that we are out of alignment with our greater knowing. Indeed, then when we are feeling good, we are in alignment. So it is right when we are feeling bad. It is also right when we are feeling good. It is right to pay attention to how we are feeling for it is our own internal guidance system functioning perfectly.

"I just want you to know that you can never get what you want when you're feeling bad." 

Feeling bad is a clear indication of being out of alignment, of rowing upstream against the current of well-being. Feeling bad is being focused on what we do not want. Worry is focusing on what we do not want. As we are in this place, we cannot focus on what we do want. However, as we become aware of our internal guidance system and we recognize that we are feeling bad, knowing that we are now out of alignment, we can then be able to step aside enough to say, "I see because of this negative emotion what I do not want, so what is it that I do want?" The negative emotion is the contrast for us to know what we don't want and can at the same time help us to know what we do want and then we can choose to focus there, changing the emotion along the way.

I think these teaching thoughts for teachers is just as perfect for all students.


To Be A Good Teacher, One Naturally Becomes A Better Student. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing your joy to flow freely.

Daily Inspiration 1-21-20

"God did not intend the human family 

to be wafted to heaven on flowery beds of ease." 

-- Frank Knox 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-6-15]

I wonder which God Frank is talking about? If I listen to his God, then I am doomed to a life of struggle, toil, and despair as a prerequisite to heaven. Sorry, Frank. I reject your God, but I am ever so happy to allow you yours as I choose a God who actually loves me as a valued part of the whole of Creation.

"I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life." -- Theodore Roosevelt. 

So, Teddy thinks that ease is without any honor of character or purpose. Yes, I see how that is in your life, Teddy. Please continue on and enjoy yourself. However, I much prefer ease.

"The true Christian is called to be a soldier and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, indolence, and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven, like on traveling in an easy carriage." -- J. C. Ryle 

Hmm. . . I wonder if J. C. actually read the Bible? Personally, I don't see Christ in that statement anywhere. My recollection is that Jesus said to "love one another as we love ourselves." So, J. C., I'm happy to allow you to have your beliefs on the true Christian; however, I choose to continue to stand in my open-mindedness and ease of where the values of the Bible have touched me deeply.

"What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence." -- Samuel Johnson. 

Sam, I don't know how many servings of hard work and nose-to-the-grindstone effort you want me to have before I have earned a single serving of ease; however, I will be more than pleased to allow you to have all the diligence you crave, while I will create all the ease I crave. My hat's off to your tenacity! 

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambitions inspired, and success achieved." -- Helen Keller. 

Helen, why cannot character be developed in ease and quiet? Character is being true to one's self, don't you think? It can only come through trial and suffering? That depends strictly, I think, on your point of view. Suffering is a conditional response to an unpleasant stimulus. Why the need to suffer? It's only contrast that may cause us to want something more or different. Accepting the contrast for what it is and turning our focus toward what that contrast has encouraged us to desire creates success. And, success is only a conditional response to a pleasant stimulus. But, please, have it your way. You know what is best for you. I appreciate your encouragement, but I will continue to develop my character in ease and quiet, while I enjoy my constant and never-ending contrast. Peace be with you.

Based on the number of quotes I have seen on the negative side of the subject of ease, I find it amazing how much so many people admire and even promote the necessity of struggle. I don't find it so admirable. Who really wants pain? It seems that many do, but it is so hard for me to believe that they really want it. I think it is that they just bought the idea that struggle is the only way through, or at least, the only honorable way through. As a practicing allower, I am happy to allow them any thoughts they may choose, along with any struggles they choose as well. I choose not those. I choose knowledge and empowerment. I choose joy and ease. I choose love and peace.


Every Day We Get To Choose What We Believe By The Thoughts That We Think. 

Spread Some Joy Today--as it will not happen to you, because you must choose it.

Daily Inspiration 1-20-20

"In the river of life, 

everything you want 

is downstream." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-5-15]

I'm still thinking about lunch on Thursday with a friend. I was playing with saying what it is that I am focusing on in my life now. I also said that I didn't know what I wanted next in my life. I thought at the time that statement was true, but it is false. I do know.

This morning, I was reading a bit from The Astonishing Power of Emotions by Esther and Jerry Hicks, and I know exactly what it is now. What I wanted to say at lunch was that I am focusing on allowing.

The Art of Allowing is what Abraham calls it. And it feels like an art. I've been studying it since I first learned about it in late 2007. In their first published book, Ask and It Is Given, the formula for all manifestation was given. Most of it is in the title. Step one: Ask. Step two: It is given. Step three: Allow it in. Steps one and three are our work, step two is not our work and is done the moment we ask. Just like the sign on my wall: What is my job! How is God's job! I should add the third part to that sign now: Allowing is my job! or Accepting is my job!

I've known this for a while, and have practiced it some, and what I wanted to say at the lunch is that now I want to become it. In The Astonishing Power of Emotions book, they use the analogy of a river or a stream. Indeed, often referred to as the stream of life or the stream of well-being. They write about putting your canoe or boat in the stream and depending on what we say we want and how much we want it, we often turn the boat and row upstream against the current.

Here's a bit from page 39: "Just Let Go of the Oars. Most people continually try to calculate the distance from where they are to where they want to be. "How much farther do I have to travel? How much more do I need to do? How much more weight do I need to lose? How much more money do I need?" And this is primarily because, in your physical format, you tend to be action-oriented.

We would like you to understand, however, that as you begin to approach your world in terms of vibration rather than action, and in terms of thought rather than in terms of time and space and distance, your ability to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be will be much more efficient."

Often we may agree with the philosophy that what we want is downstream and because we are so action-oriented, we think we should put a motor on the boat and speed downstream to get there as fast as we can. But, they say that won't really help and that the stream will carry us just fine, and all we really need to do is let go of the oars.

"When you are no longer paddling against the Current--when you release your oars and relax into your own natural Well-Being--the Current, which is ever moving in the direction of that which you have become and all that you want, will carry you toward your desires. 

The belief that there is something to overcome automatically points you upstream. Understanding that all you desire is easily attainable by you automatically point you downstream. And once you understand that, you are practicing the Art of Allowing your natural Well-Being to flow to you, and you to it. . . and that is the Art of Allowing yourself to be the You that life has caused you to become."

I have been practicing some, and now my desire is to really understand and to allow into my daily life is The Art of Allowing, of letting go of the oars, any struggle, wondering why it isn't here yet, and all of that resistance. I want to become a fully proficient allower.


I'm Letting Go Of The Oars! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply allowing your natural joy.

Daily Inspiration 1-19-20

"Life is supposed to be fun." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-4-15]

It's funny how messages draw messages, thought attracts thoughts. It must be that whole Law of Attraction thing.

Yesterday, I was sharing with a friend at lunch about enjoying myself more, and with some others about working less--not only less, but pretty much when I choose to--and that I called that freedom! I must have planned it that way since that's the way it is now, but it may not have been consciously. Regardless of the intention, I am in Heaven on Earth.

Then, this morning I got up and opened my overnight emails, several of which are daily inspirational messages that I subscribe to. These messages were on the same wavelength, so I thought I must share them too.

The first is from The Universe, a.k.a., Mike Dooley:

"You really don't have to try so hard, Terry. That's why there are magic and miracles. Remember? Tallyho, The Universe"

I thought, how perfect! I agree, or I have learned to agree. The second is from Abraham, Esther Hicks from a workshop in Salt Lake City UT on September 9th, 2000:

"Reduce your workload by 30% and increase your fun load by 30% and you will increase your revenues by 100%. And you will increase your productivity by 10,000%. (If there could be such a percentage.) More fun, less struggle--more results on all fronts."

Don't you just love it when things come together in harmony?


Great Minds Think Alike. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of that struggle.

Daily Inspiration 1-18-20

"Does an emotion

create the thought? 

Or, does the thought 

create the emotion?" 

-- Terry Minion 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-3-15]

I woke up last night at about 3am and wrote the above quote down on a notebook I keep by my bed. The idea came from watching a whole bunch of British murder mysteries and detective dramas. Of course, this is also true no matter where they came from, but there was rampant emotion, and often to the point of disability. Sometimes it was rage, anger, blame, and also grief, jealousy, vindictiveness.

What was interesting was seeing this from my current mental perspective of knowing that I create my own reality and that I am the single and exclusive source of my own emotion and thought. On one show, a woman was grieving for a loss to the point of almost destroying herself and those around her. She acted as if she had zero control over that, and it makes for TV drama, but we all always have personal control available to us, though we may elect to not make use of it.

Then, when I got up this morning, I saw a quote from Abraham, Esther Hicks excerpted from a workshop in El Paso, TX on February 17, 2001, that virtually matched the quote at the top with more explanation, of course. Here it is:

"Your emotion, your indicator of vibration, is indicating the ratio between your currently focused desire and any other belief or thought that you hold about same. When you feel negative emotion, anger about something, or fear... the name of the emotion does not matter, it always means that there is a desire within you that, in this moment, you are contradicting with some other thought. Your emotions are always about your relationship with your own desire, and nothing else. And it's time for you to just begin relaxing about it, and not make it a personal issue of your own valor, or your own value, or your own integrity. In other words, it's just, how many times have I thought this thought?" 

If emotion controlled our thoughts, we would all be pinballs in a pinball game, bouncing here and there, flipped about, totally without any control of our own. Alas, it is fortunate that our thought is the creator of our emotion. Whether we choose to exercise that control is up to the individual for their own individual reasons. We can continue with unpleasant emotions choosing the same thoughts over and over again, but we absolutely have the control available to us, and through choosing a different thought, we can change the emotion easily enough to something we might like better.


A Great Question To Ask Ourselves: Is This The Way I Want To Feel? 

Spread Some Joy Today--as you exercise your personal power in the control of your own thoughts on any subject.

Daily Inspiration 1-17-20

"Between stimulus and response,
there is a space. 

In that space is our power

to choose our response. 

In our response 

lies our growth and our freedom." 

-- Viktor Frankl 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-2-15]

This wonderful quote is from Viktor Frankl, who was a professor of neurology, who authored 39 books, the most popular of which was, Man's Search For Meaning. In that book, the first half is documenting his experience in a German concentration camp during World War II, and the second half is about what he learned from that experience to help others. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't yet. It is one of the most powerful books I have ever read.

He said, "Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human." In a short talk (less than 5 minutes) on Ted.com, he shared that the best gift we can give others is acknowledging their individual search for meaning in their lives.

I think a better way to say that is to choose how we see others, choose how we see ourselves in a way that lifts us all up, rather than making assumptions from learned habitual thought. Between stimulus and response, there is a space, and in that space, we can choose a thought and our consequential response, or we can go with our prejudice, or our learned habitual thought. In other words, we have the opportunity to choose or we respond automatically by default.

Yesterday, I wrote on my notepad: Preference vs. Prejudice. Prejudice is that learned habitual thought, and it is most often holding a negative thought. Preference is making a choice about what we prefer. In preference, we allow all to be what it is and we simply choose what to focus on. The difference is that preference is discerning, and prejudice is judging, and they are opposite ends of the same stick.

On a really short YouTube video, I saw the other day, a psychological trainer was talking about teaching a large gathering of police officers. He asked if they saw a black man driving a new fancy car around town, what would be their first thought. It was pretty much unanimously, that he was a drug dealer. Then he asked if they saw a young white guy driving a new fancy car, what would be their first thought. It was pretty much unanimously, that his rich daddy bought it for him. All of it completely learned habitual thought or prejudice. They are prejudging from learned thoughts, or another way to say it is that they are operating on autopilot--they aren't thinking about it, just responding. There was a space between the stimulus and their response, and that space was very small because they didn't need to use it as they already responded out of habit.

We get to choose what to do with that space between stimulus and response. It is always long enough, if we need it to be, in order to think and consider our response, or it will always be short enough, to instantly react out of our learned habitual thoughts. One seems to be choosing, and the other seems to be not choosing, but they are both a choice true enough.


Between Stimulus And Response In Your Life, How Often Is Your Choice Preference Or Prejudice? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding the joy that is all around you.

Daily Inspiration 1-16-20

"Money is an interesting conundrum." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-1-15]

I've been playing a game called The Prosperity Game since the end of October last. I wrote about this back in that time frame. In their first published book, Ask and It Is Given, Abraham, Esther, and Jerry Hicks offered 22 different processes that people can choose to help them to get more control of their lives and their feelings. Money is a subject that affects us all and does so in so many different ways. 

Many of us have had a lack-mentality, so to speak. In other words, money, or the right amounts of money allude us and we are always looking for more--sort of like looking out instead of in. But inside is where the issue of money gets all confused.

Process #5 is called The Prosperity Game. There are two versions. One is to put $100 in your pocket and mentally spend it throughout your day. I can buy this, I can buy that if I wanted, or I can afford that, and so on. There are so many little things we could do with $100, and it is simply meant to expand our awareness of abundance thinking rather than lackful thinking. If you saw 1,000 things that you could have purchased, you would have spent $100,000. So, what looks small can add up fast.

The second one is to have a virtual bank account and $1,000 is deposited on the first day and we spend it. The next day $2,000 is deposited, and each day increases by $1,000. Today, I am on day 309, so $309,000 is deposited into my account. I have this game as an app on my iPhone so it makes it easy and fun. It records every expenditure too. 

When I started, I spend all of the money on need-type things. Then after a few weeks, I began tithing to local charities I admire. Then I added another, another and another. Then I put another 10% away for taxes, and periodically paid more. So, 50% has been coming off the top since then. In addition, I have made investments, given gifts of money to selected people, and since my needs were met in the first 45 days or less, after the 50% off the top, I have let the rest accumulate for more grand tasks or investments.

I have learned so much from playing this game. It has helped expand my mind about abundance and has washed away a good deal of my old lackful mentality. But, I've learned even more important things too.

Right now, the balance in my account, after paying out 50% every day, plus other expenditures, is $22,704,850. It's an interesting feeling to have over $22 million dollars in the bank, especially having spent so many millions already. And, a week ago, a thought struck me: I have more than enough money to do anything that I have ever thought about that I would like, every business I thought I wanted to create, all the luxury I ever wanted. In other words, anything and everything that I have ever desired is well under what I now have available. What a grand feeling that is.

That leads me to the next part. With that realization, I found myself asking questions like, do I still want those things? Do I really want those things? Now that I have the money, do I really want to do those things? What I found fascinating is that when money is no longer an excuse to not do what we say we want to do, the thoughts about what we say we want to do change. Maybe some I still would do, maybe none will get done.

Another thing that I realized was that everything that I have ever really, truly, strongly wanted to do, I have done. I found a way regardless of finances. I jumped over the obstacles, or I went around them, or through them, but they could not stop me from doing what I truly wanted to do.

Playing this game has opened my mind, caused a change in my attitude about money, created questions that cause me to look again at what I thought I wanted and what I thought was holding me back. I will keep playing the game to see what more I can learn, as it has certainly been quite enlightening to date.


Money Isn't Everything. It Is A Lot Of Things. But It Doesn't Rule As Much As We Might Think. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting yourself relax, breathe, and enjoy your life.

Daily Inspiration 1-15-20

"You can never change the past 

nor control the future, 

but you can change 

 the mood of the day 

by touching someone's heart 

with your smile."

-- Terry Minion 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-31-15]

I dislike quotes from "unknown." Of the tens of thousands of quotes I have in my files, only a small percentage are from unknown and I never have used them. Who the heck is unknown? Is it a man or a woman? Animal or vegetable? Mineral? Does it fly? Walk? Who is that entity "unknown?"

I don't recall ever actually using a quote from "unknown." Some of them appear quite good, but who really cares if no one said it? How did it ever get recorded in the first place? Someone must have known "unknown," don't you think?

So, I made a decision this morning. Mornings are always good for clearer head decisions. The decision is that since I detest, ridicule, find disturbing, dislike, find ridiculous, quotes by no one worth mentioning, or at least no one who wants to accept responsibility for them, that I would take them for myself when I find one I like. I will step up to the plate and own them while unknown hides in the shadows.

The quote above has been commandeered, ripped, stolen from "unknown" and I have accepted responsibility for saying it. I have accepted responsibility for being "unknown" in this case. It seemed like the right thing to do. Next time you see a quote by "unknown," you will know who it was. It was me. I am "unknown." So, now you know. And. . .


You Can Quote Me On That. 

Spread Some Joy Today--go grab your claim to fame!

Daily Inspiration 1-14-20

"Most beliefs are formed by words-- 

and they can be changed by words as well. 

Realize now the power that your words command 

if you simply choose them wisely." 

-- Tony Robbins, 

from Awaken the Giant Within 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-30-15]

Part of what I do with commercial truck dealers we have as clients is to shoot videos for those that are willing. And the great news for those who are is that these videos can make a grand difference in their sales and the growth of the commercial truck department. Between my business partner, Ryan, we have shot hundreds of these videos. We have both learned how to be video directors and cameramen.

Yesterday was my third video session with our local Ford store client and the commercial manager, Kent. In all the videos I have done, he is by far my best student. What makes him the best student is that beyond being willing, he follows directions and is open to doing something he's never done before. In other words, he's willing to do. I will talk to him about what I would like to see, give him some ideas of what to say, then let him go to it, and he does very well at it, growing with each video. I told him yesterday that I'm going to start calling him "one-take Kent."

Just before the start of the first video, he said, "Let's give it a try. I hope I can remember all of that." I stopped him and said that he needs to change what he is saying. I said that he needed to say, "this will be the best video I've done yet!" By the end of the 90-minute shoot, he was saying that on his own. 

We don't realize how powerful our words can be. It's not even the words. It's the feeling behind them. Words like, "I hope. . ." or "I'll try. . ." or "maybe this time. . ." are expressing feelings inside that are guiding what we do. They are affirmations.

Affirmations are intentions. As we speak them aloud, they grow in their strength. We might want to ask ourselves about what is coming out of our mouth, "is this what I want? Or is this what I do NOT want?"

Often the difference in performance is in the words out of our own mouth or spoken in our head prior to the action. When we changed the affirmation to "this will be the best video yet!" the video was better, and each one improved.

We don't do videos to sell a particular truck as much as to sell the idea of how this truck and combination of body and chassis can be valuable. We never talk about price or terms. It is always about the product and how it can be used, including interesting features, and more. We don't want them dated, and we don't need to list VIN numbers, or disclosures because we aren't really selling this truck. They are more educational. These videos get way more traffic as a result.

In these videos we were doing, I am teaching him how to sell a completely different way than he has always done it. He is picking it up like a vacuum and he is using it when he talks to clients. In fact, yesterday, there was a steel dump that was kind of unique on the lot. It was sold, but I said, let's do a video on this. He knew pretty much nothing about steel dumps, but in a few minutes he knew a lot and he did a walk around on that truck like a pro. It was a powerful teaching and learning moment. By the way, he began the video by saying, "this will be the best video yet!." And it was.


Affirmations Are Intentions. Be Aware Of What You Intend. It Has A Tendency To Be True. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by sharing your expertise and your joy with someone who is willing. The shared joy is worth it.

Daily Inspiration 1-13-20

"It is up to you 

to focus upon and attract 

what is wanted."

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-29-15]

We get to choose. In fact, we are totally in charge of choosing. Not only that, we create what we choose to create, so we have the ultimate power of our own experience. Knowing this is one thing, and actually acting it out moment by moment is another, yet once realized, once understood, my mind cannot go back. Once I have realized that the world is round and not flat as so many have stated, I can no longer see it as flat.

Yesterday I wrote about the feeling of being adored and finding ways to renew and replicate feelings that I like and want. Those feelings are in my memory else I would not know what they were, so I can jog my memory, and feel them again, and I can also renew and expand them using my imagination.

There was a time when I felt adored by my late wife. It was glorious. Whenever another puts that kind of attention on you, it feels magical, and it is often automatically returned. Then it stopped. Life gets in the way. The honeymoon is over. Shit happens. Things change. However, I might want to say it matters less than the fact that it stopped. Did I change? Did I become less? How can I get that glorious feeling back? I miss it. I want it. I crave it. And yet, it is gone.

I tried all kinds of things to bring those great feelings back around again. I got some here and there, but not the big one that I missed so much. I settled for what I could get, and I felt that as creative as I could get, I was not creative enough.

It wasn't up to me. It was up to her. Or was it? Was it really up to her? In my now wisdom, I have learned that when we rely on others for how we want to feel, that it is quite a hit and miss affair. Trying to get others to do anything is all about the finesse of manipulation. It has very few rewards and is very unreliable.

I have learned that as a creator, I have the power within me to feel as I choose to feel anytime I choose to feel it. That includes the most glorious feeling of being adored and being loved unconditionally. Shit still happens, and life still gets in the way, but nowhere near as much as it used to because I realize that the world is round, and I cannot even imagine it as flat anymore. In other words, I am in control of how I feel and I can no longer go back to hoping others make me feel how I want to feel.

I have learned a lot in the last two years flying solo. I have learned so much more about the power I have within to create whatever I want. I haven't experienced making use of that knowledge as I desire, and I know it. I don't want to beat up on myself for any of that as it is okay to take my time at the moment. But I know that the world is round now, and I can't go back to having it be flat. In other words, I know now that I am a creator, and I cannot go back to a world where things just happen to me and I have to find a way to deal with it. I get to choose.

My reminders on my walls and desktop are just that. Reminders that I have the power to feel however I choose to feel when I choose to feel it.

One thing I didn't mention yesterday was that we have the power to choose to not only adore ourselves but for all others. I mention this only from this perspective: It is not to adore someone else so that it is returned. It may or may not be. It is to feel the feeling ourselves. One way to feel adored is to exercise the action of adoring.

And this too is something I practice every single day. Another word for adoration is appreciation. I find so many things to appreciate or to adore every day. I adore little Charlie more every day. I adore the people at the bank every time I walk in there. I adore the weather, whatever it may be at the moment. I look in the mirror and smile at my reflection and say how handsome I am and how I love my body, praising parts of it. I used to find faults in every view, and now I find things to praise. Regardless of the current shape. I even praise that. My body has so much flexibility and creative placement!

I am learning to feel what I want to feel. My reminders help me remember that I have that choice. I'll listen to some great music and enjoy that. I am enjoying my life. It feels like I always wanted to enjoy my life this way, but back then I didn't realize I had all the control within me. Now I do.


What Are Your Most Glorious Feelings? How Can You Feel Them Again And Again? You Are Totally In Control Of How You Choose To Feel. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing.

Daily Inspiration 1-12-20

"Remind yourself that you are loved. 

Not only loved but adored. 

You are loved unconditionally. 

Use sticky notes, posters, photos, 

or whatever helps to remind you. 

Just remember that you are loved. 

No matter what. 

No matter what. 

No matter what." 

-- Terry Minion 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-28-15]

It is amazing what a simple reminder can do to lift a person up, to feel loved, valued, wanted, and more. Some are just touching and others are equal to moving a mountain. I have reminders all over my office, on my computer, on the walls, my Abraham, Esther Hicks perpetual calendar, and more. They help. They remind me that I am loving and that I am loved.

When was the last time you really felt adored? That is such a delightful and yet powerful feeling. I hope you feel it often--every day even. If not, please do as I have and find something that reminds you of that feeling so that you can feel it too every time you look at the photo, note, letter, whatever. You absolutely deserve to feel it, and it is totally okay to post reminders to yourself to help you along.

Don't wait for someone else to bring you this feeling. You can feel it in your imagination, in your body and mind right now. You could post notes all over your house to remind yourself, or remind your spouse or your kids or other family members too. Love is meant to be shared, as I am sharing with you now. It is multiplied when it is shared.


Remind Yourself: You Are Adored. You Are Loved. You Are Valued And Valuable. You Matter. You Make A Difference Just By Being Alive. You Are Blessed. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by spreading the word through your feeling.

Daily Inspiration 1-11-20

"What you think of me 

is none of my business." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-27-15]

So, someone is looking at me and they don't like what they see, don't approve of what I am doing, or how I live, or any other facet of me. I say you have three basic choices. Close your eyes, turn your head or change your mind.

Close your eyes. Stop looking if it bothers you. Turn your head. Go look at something else. Change your mind. Enjoy the view. Let it help you.

Well, if you're ever in a place where you think people are looking at you with criticism in their view, then these three options will apply nicely. But, I don't think that's what Wayne was saying.

I think Wayne was saying that there's nothing really that I can do about what you think or how you may act, but it absolutely is about what I think and how I choose to act. In other words, I can only really focus on what I have control of and that is me. What others choose to think or do is totally up to them.


And So It Is. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Rejoice in your own power.

Daily Inspiration 1-10-20

"My happiness depends on me, 

so you're off the hook." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-25-15]

This is one of the most appropriate things to learn, accept, and live that I can think of. It only took me a lifetime to get it and live it. Here's the whole quote: "Tell everyone you know: "My happiness depends on me, so you're off the hook." And then demonstrate it. Be happy, no matter what they're doing. Practice feeling good, no matter what. And before you know it, you will not give anyone else responsibility for the way you feel--and then, you'll love them all. Because the only reason you don't love them is because you're using them as your excuse to not feel good." 

Of course, that applies to those I am around the most, like spouses, coworkers, friends, neighbors, but, it applies equally to those on the other side of the planet who perhaps have different ways of doing things, different ideas, different lifestyles. It applies to the goings-on of the world too. Politics, silly laws, outdated methods, lifestyle choices, and the entire boatload of fearful thoughts.

My happiness depends on me, so they're off the hook. I choose to be happy or not, and I allow no other, nor circumstance, nor event, nor idea to interfere with my own desire to feel good.

What a great marriage vow. What a great partnership vow. What a great classroom vow. What a great congressional vow. What a great vow for all of humanity. I am responsible for my own happiness. I do not look to you to make me happy or not. I choose. I choose to enjoy you or not. When I choose to enjoy, my happiness is enhanced. When I choose not to enjoy, I take my happiness with me and allow you to your own affairs and your own thoughts.

I feel strongly about this. I choose my own happiness. That is why I am happy most of the time. It is because I have learned that the only way to be happy most of the time is to not require any other to give me happiness. Happiness is mine to give myself, and as I am happy, I attract happy people. As I am happy, I may lift a small burden from another for a moment or two. As I am happy, others may see that their happiness, just like mine, is dependent only on our own personal choice.


I Am Responsible For The Way I Feel. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing to be happy yourself.

Daily Inspiration 1-9-20

"The action of walking away 

does not hold enough power 

to compensate for the 

attraction power of your thoughts." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-24-15]

Abraham, Esther Hicks in their wonderful book, The Vortex, Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships shares some critically flawed premises that so many of us live by, such as "Flawed Premise #11: If I leave an unwanted situation, I will find what I am looking for."

I don't know about you, but how many times I have left a job, left a relationship, left a situation that wasn't working out for me in hopes of finding something way better, has happened often. Yet, more often than not, I found myself in the same sort of circumstances, situations that I left.

They explain: "Whatever you are giving your attention to is offering a Vibrational frequency, and your attention to it for an extended period of time causes that same frequency to be active within you. It is important to remember that when a Vibration is active within you, taking the physical action of walking away from it will not prevent it from being present in your experience. In clearer terms, the action of walking away does not hold enough power to compensate for the attraction power of your thoughts.

By the time you come to the point of using strong labels such as oppressive or overbearing to describe someone you are working with, you have undoubtedly been observing unwanted conditions for some time, which means that you have been practicing a pattern of thought and a pattern of resistant Vibration, and that means your point of attraction now is quite strong. So even if you take the physical steps to remove yourself from the situation by quitting your job and finding another--or by asking to be removed from the specific department of this supervisor and moving to another--wherever you go, you will be taking yourself with you." 

This is a great example of how we think our actions supersede our thought patterns. It is that 'make it happen' sort of attitude, but the key phrase to always remember is that wherever you go, you will be taking yourself with you. And, your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs have all the real power, so until those are changed, any physical change will just be geography.

They suggest that "the better solution you are asking for is this: Try to make peace with where you are," and see the value, or the benefit of the contrast you are experiencing, which is leading you to desire a change. "If your life has caused you to ask for an improved situation--no matter what it is--and you are no longer offering chronic thought-Vibrations that are opposite of your desire, your desire must come to you. But you cannot continue to keep alive within your Vibrational patterns of what you do not want and receive what you do want. That defies the Law of Attraction." 

In other words, I must change my thoughts first by imagining the improvement, appreciating the contrast that caused the desire, making peace with where I am now and have been as I now turn my focus to where I want to be and what I now want. In this case, I won't be complaining about what is wrong, but more like being thankful for that contrast leading me to know what I really want. I will focus on what is or has been good, as I seek to improve my situation and enjoy more of what I want.


Complaining About What Was Is Like Dragging An Anchor Around Wherever You Go. That's A Lot Of Resistance. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Let go of what is not the way you want, and instead, turn and focus on what you want. There is plenty of joy in that.

Daily Inspiration 1-8-20

"The power you give others

belongs to you. 

Take it back 

 and take yourself 

where you would go." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 8-23-15]

There's a common phrase, "Don't shoot the messenger," meaning that it's not the messenger's fault if the message isn't what you would like it to be. He's not in control. Then there's another less common phrase asking which we are paying homage or attention to--the message or the messenger?

Some may be afraid to hear a message based on the messenger who brought it to them. At the same time, some would completely reject the message because it isn't coming from what they term a reputable source. Or, some will accept anything that comes from a source they feel aligned with or believe in.

Here's where we let go of our power. All of this is some sort of fear. It is often trained beliefs that come from home, religion, or elsewhere. And in all, we are giving our rightful power to them, to it, whatever it may or they may be.

We come cable-ready with our own internal guidance system. When we accept the power that we naturally have rather than delegating it to others or things outside of ourselves, there is no need to fear. We can discern anything within ourselves. We will know that it is in vibrational proximity of our inner knowing, or not. We are the ultimate discerning station, and it is perfectly accurate for us every single time that we hold on to our own power to use for ourselves.

Does the message resonate; that is, is it in harmony with our inner knowing, our source within, our inner being, or does it not resonate. You could say it either feels good to us, or it feels bad to us. There is no one on Earth who can do this for us as accurately as we can for ourselves. Make up your own mind, but don't reject the message or the messenger out of hand. When we do that, our power is given away.


Accept And Rejoice In Your Discerning Prowess. 

Spread Some Joy Today--as you find it within yourself.