Daily Inspiration 2-29-20

"Skill is nice, 

but it's not really about skill. 

It's about desire. 

That is a force to be reckoned with." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-17-15]

There was that thing that you intended to do and it didn't happen. Something got in the way. Maybe there were several intentions that were defeated by default without manifestation.

Oh well. . .

Is it too late?


Head 'Em Up, Move 'Em Out! Happy Trails. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Ain't it a great day for it? Mighty fine day for spreading a little joy.

Daily Inspiration 2-28-20

"Your imagination is the template, the blueprint." 

-- Bashar 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-16-15]

Continuing from yesterday's post on a way to use the imagination that I found fascinating and different from much of what I've learned over the years.

What stood out for me is in this paragraph from Bashar:

"Your imagination is the template, the blueprint. If you conjure up in your imagination an image--a vision of how you prefer to be--then take whatever situation is going on in your life, hand it to the you you have conjured up and watch how the you in your imagination handles the situation you have given to it. Then copy it. Then you will be that person, and you will have that lifestyle automatically."

What stood out for me is the line I underlined. I never thought about using my imagination quite that way. I know that Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich used what he called, The Power of the Master Mind, where he mentally assembled people from history that meant something to him as his group of advisers where he felt powerful advice helping him, but that is not quite the same kind of thing.

Consider playing with the idea that it is possible, to imagine to be in the place that you would prefer to be in time and space, and then, to stand outside as an observer, and take problems and issues being experienced today and assign them to that you, that you imagine you want to be. What might that new you do with that issue? How might that be different than how you might be handling it now. How differently that you might even think about it. Interesting.

And, here's another plus to this: As we would do this, we are in fact living that life as we are imagining how we would deal with those issues from that place that we want to be. Because we are experiencing it at the moment, it is in our experience, we are experiencing it. This means that it isn't really fake. It is just as real as the other reality.

This gives us a way to get more in tune with what it is that we would prefer and instead of thinking of it as some kind of fantasy, by assigning it tasks it brings it all into the moment and into our now experience.

That may sound weird. If it does, just let it float around a while and it might make more sense.

Regardless, it is our imagination that drives change. Here may be a way to make better use of the imagination toward our preferences.


Activate Your Imagination As A Child Does. Go With It. Experience It. Play With It.

Spread Some Joy Today--and imagine how that joy spreads from one to another.

Daily Inspiration 2-27-20

"The idea is to face your world

with a child-like fascination. 

Then you will begin to discover 

that a lot more things you take 

for granted as being mundane 

are actually quite a bit more exciting 

than you thought, and you will be able 

to act on them--because you now see 

them for the excitement they are." 

-- Bashar 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-15-15]

I may have read on a subject, or even taught on a subject for a time, and then I read just one more tidbit, and find a leap of understanding simply because the idea or subject was expressed in a unique way that caused me to open up and expand from it.

I was telling my business partner yesterday, that I learn something new every day after he taught me some tricks on my iPhone. I also learned more about computer files which astonished me and more. 

Early this morning, I woke up and decided to get up and was looking for something to write about in this Daily Inspiration. I ran across an idea about using our imagination to picture what we want. I've read things like this probably several hundred times in various ways, imagining the way I want to be, creating affirmations, and more. Then, this morning, I read it in a uniquely different way which created a completely new understanding of the idea of using my imagination.

First, I've always read, been taught, and agreed with the idea that I decide what I want, then visualize it, hold the picture for a time, and then to do that regularly every day for a short time. Adding affirmations that support that picture is also appropriate. The problem I've always had with this is twofold: One, sometimes it is very hard or seems very hard to picture what I think I want, seeing myself in that place of wealth when I'm broke as an example. Two, even after I have successfully visualized that place and done it for a while, it is also very difficult or seems very difficult to be patient in its arrival in reality.

I guess there's one more problem I've had with it. It seems forced. It isn't real. It's fake and it feels fake. But, all it takes is a little twist sometimes to have us understand in a better way. Here's a way that not only makes perfect sense to me but makes it easier and I'm sure more fruitful as a result. This is from Bashar:

"The idea is to act upon your imagination. Here is a very simple mechanism: all of you--this will work for anything and everything. Very simple. Your imagination is the template, the blueprint. If you conjure up in your imagination an image--a vision of how you prefer to be--then take whatever situation is going on in your life, hand it to the you you have conjured up who is representative of the excited person you would prefer to be, and watch how the you in your imagination handles the situation you have given to it. 

Then copy it. You will get the effect that it gets in its excited state of handling all things in that excited way. That's what your imagination is for: to copy. It gives you the picture, the blueprint, the path, the methodology, the ritual, whatever will work best for you. Create an image and mimic that image. Then you will be that person, and you will have that lifestyle automatically.

That's what a child does. It sees and it becomes; it sees and it becomes. It does not question whether what it sees is valid. A child knows it is within integrity, so it doesn't have to stop to question it. It sees and it becomes; it expands and it grows. You can do that; you can play. It is up to you."

In an effort to keep this shorter, I will continue with this idea tomorrow and let Bashar's words (all bold, italic, and underline are mine), settle into your consciousness.


The Power Of An Idea Expressed Changes It From Information To Knowledge--A World Of Difference. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by spreading love, empowerment, knowledge, freedom, and appreciation. They are all synonymous with joy.

Daily Inspiration 2-26-20

"Emotion is the afterglow of thought." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-14-15]

Michael Jordan said, "If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome." I know that in recent years, I've not accepted the negative expectations of others much at all. I turn away if I am confronted with such, and run like hell. For me, it never was really the negative expectations of others that ever bothered me. Instead, it was my imagination of the negative expectations of others. That form of self-torture is insidious. I would run like hell from it too, but where do you run when it is coming from inside? Everywhere I might run, there it would be. 

In years past, I used to have negative feelings about my imagined expectations of other people a lot. It didn't stop me from doing, but it wasn't any fun living with, that's for sure. Nowadays, I feel that so rarely because my main focus is on joy, but every once in a while, I'm feeling those kinds of feelings that my imagination has been tickling. Last night was one of those times.

One thing to do is to choose a little better feeling thought, then another and another until I move away completely. Sometimes that feels like a lot of hard work. Well, it's not really hard to think anything, but those negative thoughts seem to hold control. I have found that escaping from them is easier and works well instead of facing them and trying to work through it.

My escape choices are meditation, happy music, a funny YouTube video, go to bed, and more. They all work and depending on the time of day make more sense than other choices. So last night, I just turned off my computer and went to bed. It's rare that I'm not asleep in a couple minutes, so that is a fast way to let go of my consciousness for a while and allow myself to reboot. When I wake up, as I did this morning, I may remember it happening, but it has no power or acceptance. It worked perfectly.

It's pretty dang hard to escape from yourself. It's so easy to move away from others in comparison. So, if this ever happens to you, where you're sabotaging yourself with imagined scenarios that are self-destructive, my recommendation is to have a number of escape routes ready to move into quickly. You need a number because sometimes one is not working as well as it did last time, or the time of day dictates only certain options. And, of course, there is always the option of standing up to it and choosing better feeling thoughts. It really doesn't matter the choice, only that the choice is being made before the self-destructing thoughts and emotions get very strong. Action, of some sort, is required for health reasons.


Fighting It Is Not The Answer. What You Resist Grows. The Answer Is Always Letting Go Of The Rope. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by getting excited about how much charge you have in your own life and circumstance.

Daily Inspiration 2-25-20

"In this moment in time and space, 

you are precisely where 

you intended to be, 

and the Source within you 

is pleased." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-13-15]

What if that statement is true? What if we are exactly where we intended to be in this moment, at this time in our lives? What if everything has worked out perfectly to get us where we are right now? 

What if that resistance that we have experienced so many times was just the right amount of resistance to create the right amount of heat that caused us to want something and make a new choice. What if some of those (or all of those) choices, even though they may not have felt exactly right at the time, actually were not only right for us but perfect?

What if we chose to experience these things prior to being born into this body? Not as fate as in everything scripted ahead of time, but with the full allowing of any choices and turns and twists in any direction, yet a deep-down desire to experience a certain path that is more general than exactly specific? What if we could see that path as not only experiential choices but fulfilling our original desires at the same time?

What if we choose co-creators who come in and out of our experience, bringing both problems and solutions, were chosen with great skill to help us to stay on our chosen path? What if those co-creative experiences benefited everyone involved equally?

From Abraham, Esther Hicks: "When your life presents a situation where a clear new question forms within you, you are moving into new expansion. And even when the answer to your question seems nonexistent, you are still well along the way to personal growth. 

When you stand in the middle of a problem, or even what you may regard as a crisis, you are also moving into new expansion. And even though the solution to your problem feels out of reach to you, that is never the case. 

Whenever any question or problem is coming into focus in your life--an equivalent answer or solution is coming into focus as well. 

As your life continually poses new questions, it also poses new answers--which cause expansion. As your life presents new problems, it also presents new solutions--which cause expansion. 

Because the Source within you is so aware of this process (understanding the certainty of the answers and solutions), every part of your physical exploration is joyously appreciated." 


What If YOU'RE Totally The Author Of Your Life? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by remembering to write in some joy along the way.

Daily Inspiration 2-24-20

"One of the nice things about being busy is 

it makes you focus on what's important 

to you and how you use your time." 

-- Lorne Michaels 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-12-15]

Well. . . that's the theory anyway. . . Others? It just makes them seem like lunatics.


Feeling Like A Pinball? Playing Tug-O-War? A Little Less Busyness Goes A Long Way Toward Sanity. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying your busy and your un-busy self. That's right, the key is being in joy in whatever you find to do.

Daily Inspiration 2-23-20

"Life gives all to all, 

but we receive 

what we are willing 

to let in." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-11-15]

Yesterday, I wrote about practicing sending thoughts to others, especially strangers. After I wrote and sent it out, it occurred to me that what I am doing is an affirmation.

Affirmation is an interesting thing. I've heard several people make fun of them, thinking they are silly and delusional. But here's the best thing I could say about an affirmation: a belief is simply a thought we continue to think and so to help change a belief, which is a strong thing, we need to chip away at it with a new thought that is repeated over and over until that thought becomes our new belief.

It is our own resistance that blocks anything that we want. As Alan Cohen said, "Life gives all to all, but we receive what we are willing to let in." In this light, affirmations can be so powerful in our lives. To affirm is to "state or assert positively; maintain as true." Want a new truth? Affirm it until you believe it.

Most often, affirmations are thought of as something we only use on ourselves to help us change our thinking or beliefs. Why not then, as in yesterday's post, would we not want the same thing for others, and thereby offer affirmations to them.

I think that we may be more used to seeing others and finding fault. I don't necessarily mean that we do that on purpose as in being mean or conceited, but it seems that finding fault is so easy because our own ego is so good at it. By taking charge and wanting to change that, finding the positive things in others is a wonderful way to start and as I said yesterday, the better benefit may be how it causes us to feel about ourselves.

Want to change something in your life about you? Choose some affirming thoughts and write them down and repeat them throughout your day. It seems silly at first because we are so used to opening our eyes and seeing what we see and the affirmation is probably saying something that is not currently seen. In other words, it is in the face of reality. But, give yourself a break. Allow it to soften that resistance day by day, the way water carves its way through a canyon.

Want to change how you see others and the world? Choose some affirming thoughts and uplifting thoughts about others and speak them silently to everyone you come in contact with or come close enough to see. Finding the positives in others is a great way to expand your view of others and finding the positives in your environment is a great way to expand your view of the world around you.

Instead of saying, "seeing is believing," consider, "believe it and you will see it." Beliefs are so powerful in our lives and those that we have could be holding us where we are when we desire to be somewhere else. Changing the belief is a process of creating a new belief, and since a belief is just a thought we keep thinking, we can make some serious inroads with the use of affirmation and affirming our new desired belief.


Time To Get Some Silliness Going? It Will Pass Soon Enough. Here's A Toast To Your New Beliefs: Congratulations! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by affirming your joy and releasing it to others. You have an unending supply.

Daily Inspiration 2-22-20

"There's nothing more true

about reality than non-reality. 

Isn't it all in your mind?" 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-10-15]

When I was growing up and I'm guessing that I have a lot of company, I was not taught that thoughts had power. What a wonderful thing to teach youngsters, but I cannot remember anything worthy of note here, especially in comparison with what I've learned late in life.

I was scribbling down some notes some time back about thoughts, and it went like this:

"Do thoughts that I think have any benefit to others without my making them physical or to take form? [That question could also be asked from a negative point of view as in doing any harm to others...] 

Perhaps what I think touches other thoughts and enhances the whole of thoughtdom. . . 

Perhaps my thought may help someone with a similar thought morph their thought into thought-form and into a physical form. . . 

Thoughts are fun in the absence of fear. . . 

According to my understanding of the Law of Attraction, as I think a thought, I attract similar thoughts, and if I continue along this path even more come and ideas develop, inspiration to act in some way comes. In other words, if I stay focused and in the enjoyment of these thoughts, they will be the foundation of my creation becoming a so-called reality." 

The reason I write this is because I think it is a fascinating idea that as we think about someone that we can have an effect on them, and I relate this idea especially to strangers. I think that there is a whole other world going on and that we do affect one another by simply thinking thoughts about them. I think we can even feel it, but I think that also most of the time, we are not tuned in and aware, so even though it may have an effect, it may not be recognized as real and coming from another. I think we're all connected; albeit, not always paying attention.

For the last many months I've been playing with this idea, and many times, I think I am seeing a response. The majority of the time, I am not seeing a response, but I do believe that it got through to give the benefit intended.

I love to go to the grocery store, always have. It's one of my favorite places to play with my thoughts toward strangers. As I see someone, I immediately find things to compliment them about; such as, how beautiful they are, what a great smile they have, what great shape they are in, what a wonderful choice of clothing they made, how healthy they look. Every woman I see, I think how beautiful she is. In these thoughts, I am speaking to them directly, as in "you are beautiful; what an excellent choice you made in your clothing; I love the highlights in your hair; etc. My only rule is that it must be positive and complimentary. If any kind of negative thought might try to come through, I just let it go by and pivot to a positive thought.

One last thing. I always look them in the eye with a smile at least for a second.

What do you think is happening here? I think I am being of benefit to others. I am finding that my idea of beauty has an almost infinite range, whereas before, it might have been kind of narrow. But, this might be even more interesting: I find that I am the greater beneficiary. Sending positive, uplifting thoughts to others mentally has become such a habit for me in the last year or so and I think it is because I feel so good in the doing.


Do Our Thoughts Have An Effect On Others Unspoken? There Is No Question About It. It Is Absolutely True. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by sending your joyous thoughts to everyone you see today. You don't even have to speak a word. They will see it in your eyes and your face.

Daily Inspiration 2-21-20

"When a tree falls in a forest 

and no one is around, 

does it make a sound?" 

-- Common philosophical question 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-9-15]

Yesterday, I was preparing and packing up to go to an event. As I opened up the little door on my extended cab pickup, underneath some grocery store cloth bags I found an unopened, unread newspaper. It was a thick one, so it must have been from a Wednesday or Sunday. So, I thought. . . what did I miss that day? Should I bother to find out? Do I think that in general what was inside this unopened paper would be any different than all the ones I have opened? Hmm.

Could what I had missed have changed my life had I seen it? I haven't got a clue. But, here's a great follow up question: Is that even important? If life essentially experiences and I do believe that it is, then if I didn't experience it, does it even matter?

I was talking briefly yesterday with a friend who is a Daily Inspiration reader. Someone else was walking by and I said that they are a DI reader and have been for a very long time. She said that she is so busy that she misses looking at a number of them. I said many people have told me that they don't read them all, but the ones that they do read seem to be speaking directly to them. She agreed with that.

This brings me to my Abraham, Esther Hicks Ask and It Is Given perpetual calendar that I love. For October 7th, here is the short message:

"We want to encourage you to give more of your attention to what makes you feel good--not something so radical that you must control every thought--just make a decision that you will look for what you want to see. It is not a difficult decision to make, but it can make a big difference in what you bring into your experience." 

What an interesting idea: decide to look for what you want to see. I think we often may want to see what we would like to see, but don't think we have the power to have that happen on purpose, but we do. It is as easy as a simple decision to do so. Or, to not decide and let things happen as they will.

So where am I going with all this? Does what you miss matter? You'll have to decide that one for yourself. How will it feel to you if what you did miss mattered? How will you know you missed it? I guess you could get all kinds of upset about what goes on when you're not around. All that stuff on the other side of the world, or the other side of town, or in the other room.

Personally, I think it doesn't matter one dinky little bit. Regarding the tree in the forest question, if the tree hitting the ground does make a sound, if you couldn't hear it, would it even matter to you? Does it matter if it made a sound or not? Does what I perceive that I missed, indicate that I am lacking in something I should have had?

How about this: Look for what you want to see. Hear what you would like to hear. Enjoy what you would like to enjoy. Love who you would like to love. Be who you would like to be. Allow yourself the experience that you experience or that you choose to experience, and the rest is up to all those others that we share this wonderful planet with to do whatever they choose for themselves.


CRACK. SWOOSH. SWOOSH. SWOOSH. BOOM! 

Spread Some Joy Today--Say it with me: TODAY, I choose to feel and share joy.

Daily Inspiration 2-20-20

"Ask yourself two questions: 

One, how do I feel now? 

Two, how will I feel when? 

When there's no difference, 

you are there!" 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-7-15]

It has been said by Abraham, Esther Hicks that everything that we want, we want only because, in the having, we think we will feel better. Of course, they suggest that the shortcut to that is simply to choose to feel better now. Feel it now. Feel how it feels now. Experience it now. Do it now. Be there now.

It's been said that our subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between a vividly imagined thing and the thing itself. In fact, that has been proven time and again.

One of my early favorite mentors was Frank Bettger, who made this phrase famous: "To become enthusiastic, act enthusiastically." He didn't just make that up but learned it by actually doing it. It has also been said by many that to become this or that, act as if. That's a perfect phrase right there: Act as if.

It takes no physical effort but is a mental change. How do you measure effort mentally? Is it really hard to think of a different thought? Does it actually make us break a sweat? Nah. It's effortless. It is not directionless, but it is effortless. We're thinking nonstop anyway, so all we need do is mentally step in and change the direction of those thoughts, or at least some of them.

Not feeling loved? Begin feeling loved. You've felt it before. Re-member it. Re-think it. Feel it. Experience it in your mind. That's where you always felt it in the past when you felt loved. It was in your head then, and it is in your head now. Choose it. I feel loved. I am surrounded by loving people who love me, and I, them.

Feeling broke? Begin to feel like there is plenty of money. When you had plenty of money at some point in the past, it wasn't the money, but the feeling that you had plenty of money and how having plenty of money caused you to feel. So, imagine that feeling again. Stay with it. Roll around in it. Feel the feeling of it. It was in your head then, and it is still in your head. Re-member it. Choose it. I feel well off. I feel like I have all the money I need. I so enjoy feeling that feeling of everything being okay about money.

Don't have a loving relationship? You've had them before. At least one. How did that feel? Feel it again. Choose it. Re-member it. It was in your head then (or in romantic terms, substitute the heart for the head if you like), and it is still there. Feel it again. Roll around in it. Pour it over you. Bathe in it. Snuggle up to it and with it. Gaze on it with starry eyes and melting heart. Allow yourself the pleasure of it and relish the feeling of it right now, this minute, this moment.

Stuck in the wrong job? At some point, you had a job that did feel good. The difference is in your head. Instead of thinking about how much you hate this now and that you feel that you have to keep doing it because of the financial aspects, choose to feel how it feels to be doing your favorite thing, fully enjoying every moment of the experience and how lucky you are to get paid for doing such. You know the feeling. You've felt it before somewhere so you can re-member it. Or, if you've never had a job that felt good, you can think up a new one and imagine it.

Either way, the feeling is the real thing. It is the feeling that you have that is bringing you down, or it is the feeling that you are feeling that will bring you up. If you're feeling down, push the 'up' button and choose a different thought, which will create a different feeling.

And, here's the really interesting part. When we feel like we're stuck in an unhappy marriage, terrible job, being broke, not being loved, or whatever situation that is not feeling so good, we will remain there indefinitely when we continue to choose those thoughts and have those feelings. It isn't the thing. It is the feeling. Keep on means keeping what you've got.

However--and this is even more interesting: By thinking the thoughts that cause you to feel good, whether remembering things from the past or imagining things never before experienced, the things and situations around you will begin to change before your eyes. In fact, it is pretty much the only way things will change. When you change your thoughts, your feelings respond accordingly and cause the change of the things, people and situations in your life.

This brings even more power to this phrase by Abraham, Esther Hicks: "There is nothing more important than feeling good."


As I Feel, So It Is. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling for your joy. It's in there. Re-member it.

Daily Inspiration 2-19-20

"Never attack a problem 

without also presenting a solution." 

-- Jim Rohn 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-6-15]

The easiest thing in the world is to see 'what is' and complain about it, express the problems about it, and draw attention to it. It is a whole other creative mentality to suggest solutions that have the potential of solving the issues of 'what is.'

And, here's an interesting thing: Guess how many solutions there are? As many as there are people who think them. And, this is even more interesting: Guess how many will work and do the intended job? A lot more than one would think.

Think of a problem as a hill. How many ways are there to the top of the hill? Countless ways. Plus, here's something interesting: Is the top of the hill the goal? Maybe it is to remove the hill, tunnel through the hill, build a fence around the hill, coat the hill with chocolate, and a few thousand other ideas. How creative can we be? Answer: As creative as you can think.

To add to the quote above, Jim Rohn adds, "The best place to solve a problem is on paper." Of course, it begins with the thought, and then putting it on paper sort of brings it into 'reality,' or a little closer to that in our experience. That, in my humble opinion, is the real value of any business plan. It doesn't mean it would be followed and come out exactly as imagined, but it does give us some ideas, and ways of looking at problems and potential problems.

I'll end with another borrowed quote from Jim Rohn: "Neil Armstrong once said, "You only have to solve two problems when going to the moon: First, how to get there; and second, how to get back. The key is don't leave until you have solved both problems."


Open Mouth, Insert Solution. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding things to appreciate. As soon as you are there, joy is all around you.

Daily Inspiration 2-18-20

"I would not try to motivate someone. 

I would find someone who is motivated." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-5-15]

I love this quote and also like how Stephen R. Covey stated it: "Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly."

As I was reading those, my first thoughts were about hiring people to do work. There is a world--seriously, a world of difference between having someone that you feel you have to motivate and having someone who is already motivated. The first is pretty much hopeless, and if not that then helpless.

Then I focused on the words hopeless and helpless, and this caused me to think of homelessness. There have recently been several articles in our local paper about homelessness and what to do about it. The City Council has some grand plans to help these helpless, hopeless people--less because they are in need and more to rid the city of viewing the vagabonds. They call it an eyesore.

This caused me to think that there are many, many programs already in existence to help those in need to go from being homeless back to "normal" life and to help them turn their lives and fortunes around. One of those is a multi-location organization that does this full time including feeding, clothing and rescuing them from their situation.

That brought me back to the motivation quote. When someone wants the work and is interested and even eager, they are a joy to teach and train. They get it. They want it. They respond to it. They do well. When they don't, it's an uphill battle. (Jim Rohn said, "The purpose of training is to find out who you've got." I have found that to be so true!) The homeless or any other group or individuals are in that same place. When they want help, help is there all around them. They cannot miss it. When they don't want help, there is no help to be found because they aren't looking for it. It seems harsh to say they like where they are, but that is the only truth available. We can give it some other names like helplessness, despair, depression, powerlessness and more, but they are just not ready to change.

Alan Cohen says, "There are two elements to true help: Help must be given and it must be received." Somehow we blow right past that second part and put all our attention on the former.

He says, "Real change is accomplished only through a shift in consciousness. That shift can be facilitated by money or action, yet authentic transformation runs far deeper than any material element. Healing is an activity of the soul. When the soul is open and ready, the change will come, and not before. Coaxing and pressure rarely work. Creating a field of wisdom and love does.

If you are trying to help someone, be sure they are ready to be helped. Trying too hard to help someone who is not ready to be helped can delay their transformation and deplete you as a helper. . . It is kind to try to help someone. Sometimes it is kinder to give them space to help themselves." 

The truth of all truths is that we have to want to change in order for us to change. Outside forces can wail at the door, get in our face in so many ways, and tell us the right path to be on, but until they can become us, create from our perspective, their powers are worthless until we decide on our own. When we do, there will be plenty who are willing to be of assistance.


This Applies To Every Single Person On The Planet. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by realizing that all joy comes from within. It is our own choice to have and to share joy.

Daily Inspiration 2-17-20

"You're giving others too much power

as you even acknowledge how

they make you feel. 

What you've got to decide 

is how I'm going to feel." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-4-15]

Continuing on relationships. Being in love is a wonderful feeling, and when we leave that feeling up to the other person to create within us, well. . . this is the reason that it is so often short-lived I think. I now realize that doing that is just like how I talk about being a pinball in a pinball machine, totally dependent on the whims and desires of another.

We may often try to do the same with the other. We may try to create, or recreate situations that used to cause heightened feelings of love and now they may not work as well. This is due to the fact that we are trying to have that someone else to feel what we want them to feel and visa versa. That's a hit and miss affair (pardon the pun).

We give the other person too much power over us as we even acknowledge how they make us feel, or how we make them feel. Our feelings are our own. We create them. They are not created by others unless we really like being a pinball.

The better way I have learned is to choose to feel as I will by choosing my thoughts. If I want to feel love, all I need do is choose thoughts of appreciation. That has become my mantra so to speak. It has become my mantra because I have learned how to appreciate. I've learned to appreciate people, things, events, thoughts.

As I appreciate, I feel love. If I wanted to feel more love for someone, I simply find things to appreciate about them. If I want to feel more love within me, I simply find more things to appreciate right now, this moment. It doesn't really matter whether my eyes are open or closed. Either way, I can find things to appreciate.

When I am in that state, it doesn't matter what another or the other is feeling really, and I think you might find also, as I have, that as I am appreciating, I see only what I want to see and what I want to see exists. In other words, if you really wanted to change someone else's mood, attitude, or demeanor, by finding things to appreciate and focusing on that, they change to more match those thoughts. 

Sometimes people struggle with issues between them that are weighing them down, and it feels like a separation. There may be anger, fear, disappointment, unhappiness going on and you don't know what to do to get back to love. I do now. Find things to appreciate right now and focus on those things. Then find more things to appreciate and more things and more things until you are on a rampage of appreciation even. I believe that it is then impossible to stay in that struggle, weighed down, and separation place. When we change, the world changes. When we change, others change.


And, It's All Because We Chose To Choose Our Thoughts. Amazing! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing to feel joy and then choosing to share it.

Daily Inspiration 2-16-20

"The only way you can be happy 

is to decide to be happy."

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-3-15]

Today, I'd like to share three paragraphs surrounding this idea of being happy and particularly as it comes to relationships from Abraham, Esther Hicks. To have learned this valuable information when I was much younger would have made such a difference in my own relationships.

"When you attempt to guide your behavior by paying attention to how someone else feels about your behavior, you are powerless because you cannot control his or her perspective, and therefore you cannot achieve any consistent improvement in your own vibration or point of attraction or how you feel."

Wow! The bold is mine because that part of the paragraph just jumped out at me. Of course. I cannot control how someone sees things, because I am not them. The only way I could control their perspective is by being them. They are in control.

"Really, there is nothing that you can do to prevent others from feeling bad because they do not feel bad because of your behavior. There is no greater entrapment in relationships or in life than to attempt to keep others happy by observing their emotions and then trying to compensate with your actions."

Again, just a little phrase jumped off the page at me. They do not feel ANYTHING because of my behavior or anyone else's behavior. Whatever they are feeling is a result of their thought either being in alignment with their inner being or inner knowing and would show up as feeling good, or being out of alignment indicating feeling bad. It isn't me. It is them. At best, it is a personal interpretation of what they think of my behavior. By this thinking and respondent emotion, they are in charge of how they feel about anything.

"The only way you can be happy is to decide to be happy. When you take upon yourself the responsibility of another's happiness, you are attempting the impossible and you are setting yourself up for a great deal of personal discord." 

As we learn how this works, we own our own feelings, and as a result of that knowledge, we are in our best position by allowing all others to own theirs. My emotions are a result of my thinking relative to my inner being, and everyone else is in that same position. This would never mean to stop communication because I think it is now on much more solid ground than it would have been before. That's a place from which to build.


Now We Can Get To The Heart Of The Matter. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by owning how you feel, and deciding to experience joy.

Daily Inspiration 2-15-20

"The rich get richer 

and the poor get poorer." 

-- Common phrase spoken often 

by my Step-Father 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-2-15]

Sometimes a thing is so well said, there just isn't any point in trying to say it differently. From TUT, A Note from the Universe by the famous Mike Dooley, whom I have subscribed to for so many years, comes a paragraph that inspires, enlightens, and provides understanding about that all to the common quote above:

"No matter what else you might feel or think, it's working, flawlessly, magically, and without exception. Your thoughts, beliefs, and expectations are the sole cause of the effects of your life. And while this may give you pause and have you wondering why you've not yet met with some of the successes you've sought, let it also empower you as you remember that the floodgates must fly open and the Kingdom must be revealed at the precise moment you release whatever else you might have felt or thought about it not working." 


Sing With Me: Let It Be, Let It Be, Let It Be, Let It Be. Speaking Words Of Wisdom, Let It Be. . . 

Spread Some Joy Today--as you are fully enjoying yourself and your surroundings. Isn't it interesting how your surroundings change when you're feeling so good?

Daily Inspiration 2-14-20

"Let joy keep you. 

Reach out your hands

and take it when it runs by.

-- Carl Sandburg

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-1-15]

I've talked about joy so many times and each of these daily notes ends with the idea of spreading joy today. Still, today there was a depth of joy that I have not experienced except in very short spurts lasting minutes. Today, however, was magical.

I can't even tell you exactly what caused me to feel how I did today. It began around 9:00 am and is still with me 12 hours later. All-day long, I was in such joy. I had a wonderful lunch with a friend and client and vendor, and I found myself so focused on what he was sharing. I'm not sure I recall listening so intently before. At the same time, I was noticing everything around me. The cooks in the restaurant, the waitress who I know, and who is always so delightful to see.

Then it rained. Well, better stated, it showered. Still, walking in the rain was invigorating and fun. I was laughing all day it seems. At the grocery store, I was walking around as if I was on a cloud and everyone I passed by looked at me with a great big smile and said hi. I was amazed.

Even this morning when a problem developed and I had to be on hold for quite some time, everything flowed so perfectly and was solved with so little effort. I watched a delightful movie, Midnight In Paris again. Such great Woody Allen quips kept me smiling all the way through.

Charlie and I went for a walk and he was feeling it too. It's a bit hard to describe just how joyful this day has been. Now I want to allow more days with that depth of joy. And, I do think that this is the key: to allow. I am beginning to think that it is natural and we just allow it to take over.

I was just thinking that I didn't feel any fear whatsoever today. Not even a tiny one. Nothing. I was more myself than I usually am too. All that is interesting to consider.

The skies were grey all day. It was a cool respite from the heat of the summer all the way through last Monday. Go figure that a gray sky day could be so full of color and warmth.


I Wish For You To Experience A Day As This. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Today I didn't even try. It was impossible not to.

Daily Inspiration 2-13-20

"It may be hard to fathom, 

but in order to move ahead, 

we must let go 

of what we're holding on to." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-30-15]

You're in a situation that you like. You have a good degree of control over things that affect your results, and that is to your benefit and that of your employer. You've been given a high degree of autonomy. You've earned it. You perform. Month in. Month out. You're doing all you can with what you've got to work with. That is pretty much you. You've expanded, even excelled and you feel that you are at the top of your game. And, your game is on top of you. Generally speaking, you're there. You're at the peak. It is increasingly hard to outdo yourself. Yet, you relish the opportunity. You're a player. You're in the game to win. You're a winner, and you're winning.

Now you've demonstrated that kind of performance and profitability; now that they have a habitual taste of it, they want more. Because there is so much more to have. The truth is that no matter your stardom, there is double, triple, quadruple, quintuple that and more available. Once that vision is seen with clear eyes, the natural desire is to seek to experience it. It's time to expand, to become more. 

How is that done? It's done with a team. Adding another person isn't going to get it done. You haven't got time or energy to keep up what you do and try and train or help them get up to speed. They're on their own. They're probably destined for failure in time, or at best mediocrity. It's just the way it so often works. You've been at it for so many years, you got it down. They're new, and maybe even hungry for a time, but the newness wears off. Since you're not managing them, they're managing themselves. Good luck you say. Give it your best shot.

They want you to focus on growing the department, but here's the kicker: they don't want to lose any of your production or gross profits. No, no, no. That will not do. But, how are you going to do that? You already have a full-time job. It's not going to work. You're getting stressed and unhappy about the whole thing. Before you were a happy camper and a happy producer and now, well. . . not so much.

So what's the answer? I know the answer from many, many, many years of experience and observation. You need a team. You need to keep doing what you do and enjoy your life. You're valuable. No one wants to lose you and what you bring to the table. A manager is required. A good one. Plus a couple team members. But, here's another rub: You have to let go of some things that you control. You're going to have to let go of ordering all the inventory in the methods you've been accustomed to. You're going to have to change along with the change in the department. If it is to grow, you have to let go. If it is to grow, you have to let go. If it is to grow, you have to let go. If it is to grow, you have to let go. One more time: If it is to grow, you have to let go.

Being a star producer and an all-around wonderful person is your niche. You're so good at it, they should write a song about it. Being a manager is not your thing. You've done it, but your heart is not there. But if it is to grow, we must have a team. I repeat: We must have a team. A team can produce so much more than just adding people will do. There is no comparison. Now that you've let go, you've also freed yourself to do even better. You have no worries anymore. Someone else is managing the worries. That's what managers are good at--managing. At least good ones are.

Now you can just give advice from your many, many years of star performances. The manager listens. He's not an idiot. He would be devastated if you stopped performing. He needs you. And, you need him. Or her. Now it will grow and it will grow beyond current expectations. Now there is a team and the team will achieve the task at hand. If we want to grow it further, we add another sales team member, the manager guides them, nurtures them, trains them, and manages them. It grows.

If it is to grow, you have to let go. You have to let go of what you're holding on to. The owner has to let go of the resources needed to get this team up to speed. The owner will be amply rewarded. I can pretty much guarantee it. If you let go, it will grow.


That's How It Works. That's The Best Answer. This Is How It Is Done. Professionally. Smart. Poised For Growth. Rocking The World In Your Area. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Get ready. Joy is welling up within you and will come spilling out any second. It's okay to enjoy that alone, but infinitely better to share.

Daily Inspiration 2-12-20

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

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-29-15]

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

Daily Inspiration 2-11-20

"Resentment is personal: 

 Personal mental punishment." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-27-15]

Resentment is an interesting emotion. It is an attempt to punish someone else for something that they did or did not do that was not in alignment with what we wanted. In other words, we didn't get our way. In other words, it's my way or the resentment highway--the highway of shame, disgust, disappointment.

But, who does it punish? Resentment punishes us. Nelson Mandela said it so well when he said, "Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping it will kill your enemies." Malachy McCourt phrased it a bit differently, and I think in a way that expresses it about most of us very well: "Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die." I love that line, "waiting for the other person to die." One might think that will help create patience, but because resentment feeds on resentment, it maintains its own momentum.

I saw this quote from Bell Hooks yesterday: "The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others." I know that the answer to resentment is love. In fact, love is the answer to all things because that is what we essentially are. Yet in this quote, though it made its point with me that we need to choose love, I dislike the word 'against' in there. Love is never against anything. Love is not against oppression or domination. Love is not against anything. It allows. There is a world of difference.

So, resentment is blaming others, it is disappointment with an attitude, but resentment doesn't attack. It doesn't close others off but closes us off to others. It is a self-defeating response to our own misalignment. Resentment is a tug-o-war against ourselves. The way to move away from this poisonous emotion is to first let go of the rope. Once the rope is on the ground, we have released most of the tension in our body, and now we can find relief in choosing a thought that feels just a little bit better. Then another that feels just a little bit better, and as we move in these little steps, we can eventually get back to our true selves--love.

What we all want is unconditional love. All of us. Even the meanest looking, meanest acting, meanest spirited of us wants unconditional love. That is the love of God, The Universe, All-That-Is. And yet, love is a gift we give to ourselves. Once we do this; once we experience the unconditional love of ourselves, we then attract it to ourselves. When we fail to love ourselves, even the all-powerful love of God is blocked by us. It is there and ready to flow over us as soon as we allow it in ourselves.

The answer is always, always, always, always love. Getting there from a dark place is done by letting go of the resistance within by ceasing to pull on the rope and instead, just lay it down, then turning toward relief bit by bit until we return to love from which we came.


Allowing Is The Art Of Finding Our True Selves, Which Is Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing yourself to move toward expressing more joy in your life.

Daily Inspiration 2-10-20

"When you let it be the way it is, 

that is when it has the greatest opportunity 

to change into something else." 

-- Bashar 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-26-15]

Let me share the context from which this quote came which came from a question, "What phrases could I use that would be more beneficial to me?":

"How does this serve me--exactly the way it is? Exactly the way it is: how does it serve me? What can I learn? How can I positively learn something from this?" When you let it be the way it is, that is when it has the greatest opportunity to change into something else. If you deny the form in which it comes, then you are not allowing yourself to see what is inherent within it. You are not allowing it to present itself in the way you have created it to present itself. You are denying your own creation. 

Everything is just fine. In what you used to consider the most dire circumstances, let yourself realize everything is just fine. "I'm in control of this; look at how much control I have, to have created such an absolutely exciting scenario. Everything seems to be wild and hither and thither and all over the place, and seemingly wild and unconnected and out of control. But since I know I'm controlling that, look how much power I have." 

Get used to knowing and believing there is a positive manifestation that can occur from every scenario. With no exceptions!.... None. Trust that when [seemingly negative] things occur in your life--if you know you are doing the best you can do at that moment, and those things still occur, then assume it's for a good reason, and let yourself see how it is for a good reason. 

[When you're focused on the negative side], you can't see the positive side of the coin. You can't see it until you choose to look at it. You have to decide consciously that you will look at the positive side of the coin in every single circumstance, or you will not be able to see positive manifestation. If that's the way you choose to look at it, that's the way you'll experience your reality." 

That was shortened from two full pages of text, and yet now that you've read that, let me shorten it further. It comes down to two things:

1. Learn to accept that we all create our own reality, even when it doesn't appear to be the reality we think we want. Awareness and acceptance is critical to our functional well-being.

2. Learn to flow with the go. Yes, I said that backward from the way it is normally said. When we learn to relax and flow with what is happening, we can then learn from it and change it as we will. 

Last Monday, my hard drive on my main computer crashed and burned. The mirror hard drive was useless. For someone who runs an Internet business, this could easily be considered a disaster. That scenario is still unfolding, and won't even be resolved for many more days. You don't want to hear all the details. Trust me. Yet, because I have learned to flow with the go, and that I am in control of my own reality, I am finding the positives that are in this whole affair. I have found some, and I am certain because of the extent of the issue, there are more nuggets to find.

I am not even upset, whereas in the past I would have been ranting, raving, flailing about, blaming everyone and everything I could, demanding things be done, and generally being an unhappy camper. In the meantime, I'm making do with what I have to work with. You don't know the peace this brings me to flow with this go. I am actually appreciative that it happened to demonstrate how I've learned to do this. That's just one of the nuggets, and I look forward to the others as they arrive.


Sometimes Shit Happens, And I Accept Responsibility For That As I Adjust Myself To Flow With The Go. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply being. You are joy. Though you may not always see it or spread it, you are joy. Let it be.

Daily Inspiration 2-9-20

"That's why you have to

let your creativity out

because it has you as a project. 

It's building you, 

creating you." 

-- Elizabeth Gilbert 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-25-15]

Yesterday, I watched a 47-minute interview by Marie Forleo with Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, and many other books. They were discussing her latest release, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. While watching this, I immediately bought the book.

This interview is absolutely delightful. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed an interview as much, and it was full of creative wisdom and Marie's questions seemed so perfect to get the most out of discussing the book and the values therein. To say I highly recommend watching it is saying it conservatively.

What always fascinates me in learning is that I will see or hear many things that are of value to me, or that help to enlighten me, and yet there may be just a sentence or two in all that time that resonates so much that I just have to write it down. This is the case with the quote at the top.

What fascinates me about that quote is the idea that by exercising our own creativity, it is creativity itself that is having its way with us, or as she says, "it has you as a project." We think of creative projects and that we are exercising creativity on those projects, but to turn that around and have creativity having us as a project is very interesting.

The fact that what we do, what we act on, how we think molds us every day is not a new idea, but how this one was expressed by Elizabeth Gilbert gave me a way to have all of that make more sense somehow. The idea that these things have me as a project is a fascinating twist and it is also interesting how that excites me even more than simply exercising creativity. It opens up vistas in inspiration for me, and my desire is ignited by it.

Isn't it amazing when a spark ignites something within you? Isn't it interesting how something in an interview--just two sentences in fact--can make a huge difference in your life? This is what I love about learning. Taking the time to watch an interview, a TED talk, and a thousand other things keep me wanting more. Some are interesting and I could just as easily have missed it, and others simply rock my world. Yet, they are all valuable. Why? Because I am their project. . .


As I Am A Creative Project, I Expand And Become More. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by just letting loose. Blow the cobwebs out. Dance around the room. Have some fun. Share some joy.

Daily Inspiration 2-8-20

"Emotions will either serve or master, 

depending on who is in charge." 

-- Jim Rohn 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-24-15]

Who's really in charge of our emotions? It is an inside job. So often; however, we may find them controlling us from the outside via circumstances, events, and so on. That's just a mirage. Emotions are always from inside us, and always demonstrate our alignment or misalignment with our inner being. Alignment would be feeling good, and misalignment would be feeling bad, with various grades of emotion based on the intensity of those feelings.

Let me share an interesting bit from The Astonishing Power of Emotions by Esther and Jerry Hicks and Abraham's teachings (By the way, I highly recommend this book!):

"The Law of Attraction says, "The essence of that which is like unto itself, is drawn." And what that means is: If I feel unappreciated because of circumstances that have recently occurred in my experience, the Law of Attraction cannot now surround me with people who appreciate me. That would defy the Law of Attraction. 

If I feel fat and unhappy about the way my body looks and feels, I cannot discover the process or state of mind that is necessary to achieve a good-feeling, good-looking body. That would defy the Law of Attraction. 

If I feel discouraged about my financial situation, it cannot improve. Improvement in the face of discouragement would defy the Law of Attraction. 

If I am angry because people have been taking advantage of me, lying to me, dishonoring me, and even defacing my property, no action that I can take can stop those unpleasant things from happening, for that would defy the Law of Attraction. 

The Law of Attraction simply and accurately reflects back to you in a myriad of ways an accurate response to your vibrational output. In short, whatever is happening to you is a perfect Vibrational Match to the current vibration of your Being--and the emotions that are present within you indicate that vibrational state of being." 

As we learn this, and then pay attention to how we feel, this leads us to what we are thinking which is the root cause. This is how it is when we are in control: We become aware of the cause and effect of our thinking and how things come into our lives. When we are not in control, it only means that we are not paying attention and we are simply allowing whatever is going on around us to control how we feel.

The inevitable result of that is to blame. These things are happening to me. I did not ask for them. They are just coming out of the blue. I did not create them. I am innocent. Being caught unaware is a really good way to express that, but not a very satisfying place to be.

By recognizing that we must be a vibrational match to what we want, just as we have been for what we don't want, we have our control back where it belongs. This is the awareness that we actually do control circumstances instead of the other way around.


Once I Am Aware, I See A Different World. It's One That I LOVE! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by being aware of what joy is. It is a vibrational match with your inner being. That is so worth sharing!

Daily Inspiration 2-7-20

"You wouldn't choose to dress 

for yesterday's rain 

if it's sunny skies today." 

-- Karen Salmansohn 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-23-15]

Early this month I received my The Happy, dammit Daily from Karen Salmonsohn and the quote above leaped off the page at me. Here was her whole short message:

"Don't allow yesterday's bad times or bad feelings to influence the thoughts and mood you choose today. You wouldn't choose to dress for yesterday's rain if it's sunny skies today. Well, yesterday's passed. Today is a brand new sunshiny day. Enjoy!"

Why would we prepare for yesterday's pain today? Today is a brand new day. It has never been experienced before. It knows nothing of yesterday or tomorrow. Let's at least see what comes without us giving it a foreign agenda.


Enjoy Your Brand New Day Today! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting today evolve on its own.

Daily Inspiration 2-6-20

"People will try to tell you

that all the great opportunities

have been snapped up. 

In reality, 

the world changes every second, 

blowing new opportunities in all directions, 

including yours." 

-- Ken Hakuta 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-22-15]

A few days ago, I watched a great TEDx video by Scott Dinsmore titled, How To Find and Do Work You Love. It is well worth watching in my opinion because he did and now he runs a business teaching the world how to do the same.

The main reason I mention it is because a lot of people don't think that it is possible. Even well-meaning parents and friends will sometimes say, "you can't make a living at that! Just take the job that's available and stop dreaming." However well-meaning they may be, and I'm sure they think they are, they are also blinded by their own prejudices and beliefs.

It is possible. People are doing it every second of every day. The only thing stopping any of us from doing the same would be our own prejudices, beliefs and taking the advice of people who are not doing it themselves.

Consider this wonderful statement from Bashar: "For everyone who wishes to be on a particular stage, there is always an audience to appreciate what you have to say." I'll come back to him in a moment. . .

Last night I re-watched an old movie, EDtv. It wasn't just to see and delight in Jenna Elfman again (okay, maybe it was), but it's just goofy fun and also a nice love story. In one scene, Woody Harrelson is talking about his sister and her live-in boyfriend and that he is a lounge singer and he is really bad at it. In fact, he went on about it until no one was laughing anymore. It was pure cruelty. He was trying to be funny and trying to be a taller building by tearing the other down. Now, reread the previous paragraph. There is an audience for everyone. Woody was not one of them, but there are people who would love to listen.

Let me share a bit more from Bashar about following your excitement:

"Follow your excitement! Get out into the world, doing what you most love doing, and know that the world will shape itself to what you need. It will do so for everyone, and there is no conflict in it. No one loses because you are winning! You all win because there is enough for everyone. 

Be bold, for no one will turn you away. There is always an appropriate audience for everything you truly need to say, and you will find that audience. For everyone who wishes to be on a particular stage, there is always an audience to appreciate what you have to say--once again because everything fits. Everything belongs; and there is never!!--never-never-never-never!!--an actor who is born without an audience being born at the same time for that actor. 

NEVER!! It all works perfectly!! Flawlessly!! Believe it; act like you believe it, and you'll see the results--guaranteed. 

Do!.... Think is wonderful. Believe is wonderful. Feel is wonderful. However, doing is what creates the reality you wish to experience." 


All The Possibilities Exist For Whatever You Would Love To Do.

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply considering the possibility that you are a magnificent person and that you have an abundance of joy to share with others.

Daily Inspiration 2-5-20

"The beginning is the most important part of the work." 

-- Plato 

"I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. 

Writing a poem is discovering. 

-- Robert Frost 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 9-21-15]

Why is the beginning the most important part of the work? I think Robert Frost said it so well: Discovery. Without a beginning, there is no discovery.

Some people fear beginnings because they cannot see the end. Some fear the end. They seek exit strategies ahead of time just in case once they are in, they may not like it as much as they think and want to protect themselves as much as possible when they decide to quit. But, they don't get to experience as much as they could with that frame of mind at the beginning.

What's going to happen when I marry? It will be the beginning. Along the way, will be discovery. But, when we project the end as a prenuptial does, we're saying that we only want to see what we already know. Predictability is safe but boring. Allowing the discovery to excite you is the path to a great and wonderful relationship.

What's going to happen when I start this business? It will be the beginning. Along the way, will be discovery. Lots and lots of discoveries. In my opinion, getting excited about that discovery is what success is all about. As long as the end is not predicted by an exit strategy, creativity can thrive. 

Whatever it is that we are beginning, that is a great thing. It is great because nothing happens until we begin. Once begun, we must allow ourselves to experience the unknown, and as we do that with enthusiasm, and wonder, our journey is a delight. It is not necessarily all fun and games, as there will always be the contrast of what some call obstacles or problems, but how we choose to view that contrast will always determine how much further down the path we will travel.

I was talking on the phone with my stepdaughter on Saturday, and I said to her that she sounded cheery, enthusiastic, happy, excited, positive, and engaged. She said that she was, but she wasn't positive all the time. I said, who is? I don't think anyone is positive 100% of the time. There is sufficient contrast on planet Earth to divert us often enough. It is more about resilience I said, and she agreed.

Resilience is about getting back on the path, coming back to your joy, after visiting with contrast for a brief time. How we view that contrast lifts us or defeats us. That causes it to be brief or long-term. Resilience is measured by how soon we come back to the path, our joy, our goal, our delight, our enthusiasm. 

Now, look at all that we are learning because we decided to begin!


Living Is Discovery. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by following it wherever it takes you.