Daily Inspiration 3-31-20

"We see what we want to see. 

Change what you want to see, 

and what you see will change." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-27-15]

Do you remember what it felt like to graduate from school? As I remember, it felt so good to get to move on to a whole new adventure, while leaving all that it took to get there behind. Like a snake casting off its skin, a butterfly coming out of the cocoon. Yesterday, I felt as if I graduated. It was an interesting realization and feeling.

It's been coming for some time. I realize the Law of Attraction working to help me along my chosen path. I wanted to see the good in the world. I wanted to see the good in other people. I wanted to see the world growing and becoming and serving. As I would find one thing that matched my desire, another would come, and another, and another, and now it has become rather consistent and predictable.

Can you look at tragedy and see the value of it? Can you look at the negative things going on in the world and see beyond it to the positive things? Can you see beyond the inflamed anger and unhappiness expressed by other people and see their cry for love? Can you find peace within regardless of what may be going on without? These were issues that I struggled with, but no more. 

Earlier in my life, I didn't even struggle with those issues, I joined in. I wrote a song many years ago mirroring the ideas in the book and movie, 1984 by George Orwell, called Watching You. The world against the individual and all that stuff. It was my reading, and better said, my re-reading of a book that changed my direction. I've bought and given hundreds of copies away. It is Love Is Letting Go Of Fear by Gerald Jampolsky, MD. Such a simple, easy fast read, and yet so powerfully profound. That book started me on my healing journey.

Much later and so many authors later in April of 2007, I found the audiobook version of The Secret, and that led me to many authors and it was the Teaching of Abraham as presented by Jerry and Esther Hicks that resonated the most with me. I've mentioned this a few times, but on my wall for many years now is a statement from Abraham, Esther Hicks: "Today, no matter where I'm going and no matter what I am doing, it is my dominant intent to see that which I am wanting to see." I took that idea to heart and began practicing it. And yesterday, I feel like I graduated to it becoming me.

I'm so excited about this that I can hardly stand it. There is much ahead of me that I want to realize I already know deep inside, and yet I am reveling in the sight of new eyes as if I were blind and now I can see.

I can look through the newspaper without any qualms now. I can see past it. I can see past the pain. But more than this, I just don't see much of that stuff anymore. I see good things, people loving people, people serving people. I see people struggle too, but I see that they are in charge of that and that it doesn't come from the outside, but the inside, and that they can let go of that rope any time they choose to do so.

I hold ill will for no one. I have no enemies. My enemies from the past were always from within, not without. My previous blaming of others, holding grudges, feeling mistreated, was my fault, not theirs. I have realized something, that at first, and even so long on this path, was very hard to accept at full value. It is this: We really do, or rather, let me say it this way, I really do create my own world. I create what I see. I see what I choose to see. I feel as I choose to feel. Any contrast that I see is there to spur my desires to what I would rather see next. I choose it all.

To realize that I am there at that place now, with a whole new, fresh, bright, fascinating world ahead is something to celebrate. I am celebrating still, and will for some time I'm sure. I am so grateful, thrilled, joyous.


It Works. All This That I Have Learned And Taught, Is Real If You Want It To Be. It Is Always Our Choice Of What We Will See And Believe.

Spread Some Joy Today--Wow. The magic of all of this is mind-boggling. I am in joy!

Daily Inspiration 3-30-20

"Though I may not always succeed initially, 

I intend to practice what I preach 

and do my best to lead by example." 

-- Terry Minion 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-26-15]

Good day to you! It is Thanksgiving Day in this part of the world, and so it is completely appropriate to do just that: Give Thanks.

Yesterday, I shared some quotes from Jeffrey Gitomer about changing things up and thanking ourselves first by finding those things about us that we appreciate, can sing about, be proud of, and love about ourselves. From that foundation, we can be more sincere in our appreciation of others. So, I will lead by example.

Here is a list of things, attributes that I appreciate about myself that I give thanks for and celebrate today:

• I celebrate my sense of humor. I love to laugh, and I've even learned to laugh at myself. I love being around people who help me to laugh. 
• I am grateful for my desire and appreciation of learning. I am constantly learning and I think this is one of my greatest assets. 
• My willingness to invest in myself. Since I was about 21 years old, I have constantly invested in myself and my personal development. 
• I celebrate my willingness to try things and to choose the things I try. I am willing to learn how after I begin doing it anyway. 
• I completely delight in my desire and practice at being an unconditional lover. I have always loved, but it used to have conditions. Now, I love mostly without any conditions. That alone has changed my life forever. 
• I'm happy about my willingness to share; to teach. This has become my life's "work." 
• I appreciate my work ethic. It is amazing what I am willing to do when I am delightfully and/or intensely focused on an objective. 
• I love with an open heart. I can still remember the day in my kitchen when that change happened within me. The Holy Spirit softened my heart to never be the same again. Now I cry at the drop of a hat and mostly about the good things that happen and the spirit in others. 
• I appreciate my ever-expanding spirituality, and one thing interesting about this is that I now appreciate my body more than I have before as a direct result of stepping outside of it. 

There's my shortlist. I haven't really focused on gratitude about myself like that, but it is a powerful and enchanting process. I hope you try it yourself and see how it causes you to feel or see yourself. 

And, now, I am so thankful for all of you. Thank you for subscribing, for reading, for skimming, for allowing me to share and perhaps touch a resonant chord within you. I am so blessed by those who share with me and so I know how that can feel when it really hits home. Thank you for being a part of my life, however long or short. It is my delight to share and I grow by doing just that. I haven't got a clue how many people read these things I've done daily since September 2009, but I know they are all over the planet. I am blessed by all of you.

I give you my love and my best intentions for your day today and your life as you grow. I celebrate you.

Happy Giving Thanks To YOU! 

Spread Some Joy Today--and every day.

Daily Inspiration 3-29-20

"People try so hard to express

good cheer in these holiday seasons

that they often miss the mark. . . 

Here's my idea: 

Why not start by thanking yourself." 

-- Jeffrey Gitomer 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-25-15]

I've been a long time subscriber to Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Caffeine weekly email newsletter. I love it. Today's message from Jeffrey was quite fresh. In the last week, I've received a bunch of typical writings about Thanksgiving, and especially how commercial the holidays have become, etc., so to read Jeffrey's article #1226, titled, A Different Kind of Thanks. Yours, I had to share the essence of it here.

He said, "Here's my idea: Why not start by thanking yourself. Thank yourself for your success, your good fortune, your health, your family, your library, your attitude, your fun times, your friends, and all the cool things you do that make you a happy person. If you're having trouble thanking yourself, that's an indicator that things aren't going very well. And in that situation any thanks you give to others, will be perceived somewhere between 'less than whole' and 'totally insincere.'"

He continues: "I don't think you can become sincerely thankful to others until you have become fully thankful TO yourself and FOR yourself. And once you realize who YOU are, your message of thanks will become much more real and passionate to others." 

Insincerity in communications during the holidays? Bucket loads. It's all around us. "How are you?" Answer: "I'm fine, how about you?" I cannot stand small talk because it is so small that it is insignificant. Better not to say anything than such dribble.

But, what really got me in his message is that we so often during Thanksgiving, and at other times, think about giving our thanks to others, to God, whatever, and we leave ourselves out like that would be selfish or something. It's not selfish. It's a perfect place to start. I think more focus on our gratitude for ourselves and what we believe about ourselves is of value, opens the floodgates for sincere gratitude to flow toward others.

We are worthy of our own gratitude, appreciation, love, respect, and belief in ourselves on our way to seeing those virtues and qualities in those that we come into contact with. Don't you agree? Let us start there this time.


Make A List Of What You Are Thankful For About You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--and from recognizing that joy in yourself, you can no longer store it alone.

Daily Inspiration 3-28-20

"You are always choosing

which self you will love from. 

In your choice lives your destiny." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-24-15]

The other day, I said that allowing is loving; that to become an allower is to become a lover. It has a beginning, and that beginning is in us.

From Abraham, Esther Hicks: "The not allowing of self is usually where the not allowing of others comes forth. Usually, the one who is most disapproving of a quality in himself notices that same quality in others and disapproves of it there as well. And so, an accepting, an approving, an appreciating, and an allowing of oneself is the first step in the appreciating, approving, or allowing of others. 

And that does not mean that you must wait until you are, by your standards, perfect, or that they are, by their standards, perfect, for there will never be that perfect ending place--for you are all ever-changing, ever-growing Beings. It means looking and intending to see in you what you want to see, or intending to see in others what you want to see." 

That last sentence is worthy of repeating to take note of it and the power of its message: "It means looking and intending to see in you what you want to see, or intending to see in others what you want to see." The most powerful part in that to me is looking to see in us what we want to see outside of us. That says so much.

Feel free to replace the allow words with love. As we learn to allow or love ourselves, we then have the understanding and capacity to allow and love others.


Thanksgiving Inside Out.

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing that joy within yourself flowing out and touching others. They will feel it because you do.

Daily Inspiration 3-27-20

"Prayer is sitting in silence 

until it silences us, 

choosing gratitude 

until we are grateful, 

praising God 

until we ourselves 

are a constant act of praise." 

-- Fr. Richard Rohr 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-23-15]

Wow. This is one of the most powerful, insightful and useful quotes I've ever seen. You might do as I did and read it over and over and let it tickle you in the process.


A Worthy Inspiration For Your Friday. . . And All The Rest Of The Days Too. 

Spread Some Joy Today--until we ourselves are a constant act of joy.

Daily Inspiration 3-26-20

"The Art of Allowing is: 

I am that which I am, 

and I am pleased with it, 

joyful in it. 

And you are that which you are, 

and while it is different perhaps 

from that which I am, 

it is also good." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-22-15]

I'm always looking at how to translate the idea into practical living. I'll share some examples from the last few days to demonstrate.

Friday evening, I was outside a busy restaurant to pick up some take-home food. I saw an older lady (it's funny to me to use this phrase now since she was probably not much older than me!), I said hi to her and she asked me if I happened to have a set of jumper cables. I said that I didn't know, but I normally do and that I would look in my truck. Nothing in the back, so I said I would look behind the seat. There they were.

When I brought them out, she was obviously relieved. Her car wouldn't start. Then out comes a younger man talking briefly with her. He was obviously unhappy. In order to jump the batteries from his car to her car, her car had to be moved. It was no big deal as it was downhill. She tried to do it but the guy was having issues with the way she was going about it, so he got her out and did it himself. As he was doing that, she said it was her son.

There was a lot more impatience from the son about the mother's unfortunate circumstances and his unhappiness about his inconvenience. I was smiling and calm throughout. To me, there was nothing to be upset about. The mother said thank you to me and sorry for my trouble, and I said, I had the easy part as it wasn't me in need, and that I was very pleased to be able to be of assistance. Then, she thanked me for being a soothing influence with her son.

We get to choose our mood in every circumstance, don't we?

There were three other situations where someone was calling a person by a name that ties them with a group. This is always the first step in creating enemies. We call them some kind of name that takes away their humanity. Now they are easy to kill because they aren't really human. Regardless of what group we throw real human people into, it is all about dehumanizing them for our ego's own comfort and safety. It could be the color of their skin, the religion we think they belong to, a particular type of activity we think they are associated with or could be associated with. It could be an ideology, and the list goes on.

Whenever we do this, it is always based on fear and it is always intended to dehumanize the other. To say that every Muslim is the same, every Christian the same, every Buddhist the same is impossible in reality, but easy in our use of language. We might as well say every politician is the same, every CPA is the same, every drug dealer and drug user, every grade school teacher, every social worker, every President, every anything is the same--that they are all to blame because they are part of something more than themselves. It's pure ego. It's pure fear. It's purely irresponsible. It's totally and undeniably unloving.

We get to choose our mood at every moment. We get to choose our thoughts of ourselves and others in every moment. We get to choose how we associate one thing with another. We get to choose. We are the only ones who choose. The outcome, or the reality, is the result of those choices.


We Choose To Allow (Love), Or Not (Fear). There's Really Only Two Choices. Which Will You Choose Today, This Moment, In This Situation, In This Interaction? 

Spread Some Joy Today--That choice would be love. Joy and love are interchangeable.

Daily Inspiration 3-25-20

"Going with the flow 

is not only effortless, but 

it also affords the best view." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-19-15]

I got up early this morning with the intent of writing today's Daily Inspiration. My computer was awakened and the Internet was not working. So, I casually restarted my computer and restarted the modem. Then, my computer, which was just recently refurbished, chose not to reboot. It stopped with a black screen. Hmm.

I waited a couple hours until after 7am to text my computer guru, and he took over two hours to respond. So at 9:30am the cause was found. By then, I had to get ready for an appointment. The problem with the computer was the silliest thing and I've never experienced it before, but I had a video san disk card in the card slot on the computer and once that was removed, the computer rebooted properly.

Things happen for a reason. I do believe that, and so I have learned to quickly shrug it off and pivot to something else. So, I finished a book I was very much into and that was a great benefit to me, for having finished it and for the loving information that it conveyed.

I would have easily spent 5 hours on the computer this morning, but the Universe had something else in mind. I went with the flow and all was perfect. I guess I could have been all kinds of upset about my mini-roadblock, but I wasn't upset in the least. I enjoyed the change actually. It was a nice change and I even spent 15 minutes in meditation too. It was wonderful.

There is all manner of things that can seemingly go wrong to change without any notice, and all of that is benign really. What spells trouble or adds joy is strictly in how we respond to any of those challenges.


We Have Many Opportunities To Choose Peace. That's Another Name For Going With The Flow. 

Spread Some Joy Today--I hope you are in-joy with yourself today. It's a perfect day for it, don't you think?

Daily Inspiration 3-24-20

"Stress is far more 

attitudinal than situational." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-17-15]

Stress is not a thing. It is purely a thought in origin and a negative emotion as a result of that thought or thoughts about something real or unreal. We can have stress over things that are real, such as events, direct and indirect communications, and many other things that we can and have experienced. At the same time, we can experience the negative feeling of stress from those things or situations that are purely from our imagination. Stress is simply a thought that we choose.

But, here's the really interesting part: stress is never actually in the present. It is based on the past and projected to the future. I believe there are two easy ways to relieve ourselves of any stress. One is to choose a better feeling thought. Some struggle with that idea so here's number two: become present. Close your mind to the past and the future and see only this moment, experience only this moment. Stress cannot survive either.

The easy way to come into the present moment is to pay attention to something in your field of vision. Don't make any judgments about it, simply notice it. Another easy way is to pay attention to something going on in your body. Your tense muscles, your breathing, the itch on your forehead. Either of these brings us immediately into the present where there is no stress. Stress cannot exist when we are present--we have to be out of it in order to experience stress.


Isn't That Good News! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing yourself the pleasure of dropping the rope and taking a deep breath. OMG! There it is! It is joy!

Daily Inspiration 3-23-20

"Instead of blaming people

you believe have hurt you, 

 give them credit for helping you. 

They are not devils, but angels." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-15-15]

It has been said that "the devil is in the details," but what is more true is that the devil is in the past. In the present there is wonder, and in the past can often be darkness and blame carried sometimes for a lifetime. Yet, it is never the event in the past that makes it dark, but how we choose to think of it that makes it so.

The past is over, but it can be brought into the present at will. That is what virtually every significant other relationship argument is about. It is about the past and bringing the past into the present.

That reminds me of yesterday's post about the stock market and how the fear of investors is aroused by a stock missing the analyst's expectation or projection. Isn't that often the way it is in a relationship where we who are to blame have missed the expectations or projections of the analyst [the one blaming]. Or it could be reversed. Someone hurt them in the past and now the expectation is fulfilled when you "hurt" them now. [See? It is happening again. I knew it was going to happen...] But, it isn't now, is it? It was then, and it is all thought. Nothing actually happens, it is simply how we or they choose to think about an event, person or situation.

As Alan Cohen so delightfully points out in A Course In Miracles Made Easy, If we can change our thinking about the past, we can then turn all those devils into angels. He says there are two ways to do that:

"First acknowledge things about them that you genuinely appreciate." Even if they were mean and awful and so hard to find any redeeming quality in them, surely there is one tiny, tiny thing that we can appreciate about them. Then, appreciate that one thing. Even if it seemed impossible, he says, "It's your movie. Change the script."

"The second devil-transformer. Consider: How has this person helped you to grow?" He says that "everyone helps us. Some help us by being kind, and some help us by acting unkind, so that we may choose kindness no matter what they do." 

He adds this bit of wisdom: "You will never gain by blaming others for your loss. You will always gain by honoring others for their contribution. This reversal of perspective is the most helpful shift in perception you will ever achieve." 

It has been said that we cannot change the past, but that is absolutely false. We can change the past, and I might even say, that we should change the past so that the past is something that we can look on with joy and find no fault whatsoever.


What Would An Argument Be Without The Past? It Wouldn't Be An Argument, Would It? It Would Be No-Thing. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by turning all those devils into angels. There is joy in that.

Daily Inspiration 3-22-20

"Wherever you are, 

and whatever you do, 

be in love." 

-- Rumi 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-16-15]

What a marvelous and joyous way to live my life. Wherever I am, and whatever that I do throughout the day, to be in love is the ultimate joy.

I've seen a lot of movies where someone may say, "I've never been in love," or "I want to be love," or "when will love happen to me?" It's as if love is only lavished upon someone who patiently awaits it, feels eventually that they deserve it, and becomes impatient of its absence. How sad--and so unnecessary.

To be in love is easy. Step one: Love. There is no step two. You're done. Another, seemingly more practical word than that magical and mysterious word love, is to appreciate. Appreciation is love. When we appreciate, we are loving.

Where to begin. . . the mirror in the bathroom (or any other mirror). Loving self is probably the best place to begin. How to begin? Find things to appreciate in that image in the mirror. A smile will help break the ice. Not analyzing your pores will also be helpful. What can you appreciate about that image, that 'you' in the mirror? Every time you see yourself in a mirror, find things to appreciate. Smile. Watch those eyes light up when you do. Even if you appreciate the same things over and over, it's good.

Now, everywhere you go today, everyone you see, every thing you see, every non-thing you see, find something to appreciate about it. The sky is blue. Check, It is a gorgeous blue. Better. The sky is magnificent! Way better. Look at all these cars and trucks and all different colors, sizes and shapes. Isn't it fantastic that we have this transportation available to us at a moment's notice to go wherever we desire to go? There is nothing as sweet as a full tank of gas and somewhere to go.

You get to see what you choose to see and how you choose to see it. How will you see it? As if it is nothing? As if you're in love? It's your choice.

Tired of the movie of your life? I love how Alan Cohen said in yesterday's message, "It's your movie! Change the script!" So true. Wayne Dyer has said, "change the way you look at things and the things you look at change!" So true. Life is not in things. It is in the way we see, what we see, how we feel when we see, hear, touch, smell. It's the experience of it all. So what kind of experience do you want to have?


I've Chosen Mine. I Choose To Be In Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing love, appreciation, joy. They aren't for sale. They are free, and all come from choosing.

Daily Inspiration 3-21-20

"I think wisdom is three things. 

One, it is awareness. 

Two is acceptance, 

and three is allowing."

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-13-15]

What would life be without some contrast and diversity here and there? How do you remain a loving person when someone is clearly and seemingly purposefully undermining you? Is there such a thing as love in business? Or is it all about competition, the survival of the fittest, and market share?

As you must already know by now, I am a practicing unconditional lover. Much of the time, since I've been practicing for so many years now, I do well, but there are times when I am challenged to stay connected to that ideal. Business is one of the more challenging aspects because it seems that there are so many people who believe that personal ideals and business don't mix, that love and business don't mix. Instead, they may see, as the saying goes, 'all is fair in love and war,' but of course, not at the same time.

Our company has a challenge on the table as I write this. My business partner and I discussed it yesterday, and I gave my feelings and thoughts about it. If we fight it, we are in resistance. My advice was to state our position with respect, and then let go of the rope. Of course, the worry is that if we let go of the rope, the threat will get larger and may consume a client or a few clients in the process. But, I don't think resistance of any kind is the answer.

Then this morning, I was still thinking about this a bit and it occurred to me to love them unconditionally. Do I/we have the ability and willingness to allow these other people, this other company to be what they choose for themselves or to do business in whatever way they choose without any insistence that they satisfy me? Yes. Am I willing to practice it? Yes.

Until I asked that question of myself this morning, I still felt a little resistance. I felt like yesterday that I dropped the rope, but maybe I was still holding a few threads or something. And, after answering the unconditional love question, I feel zero resistance.

Are love and business mutually exclusive? Only if you want to believe that. I remember now that I have taught love in business most of my long career as a sales manager, but it wasn't until Dr. Wayne Dyer shared his definition of unconditional love that I aspired to grow to that level of love.

I used to teach at the truck body company I worked for that we all get to choose love or fear many times, maybe hundreds of times a day. Which will you choose? The choice is made by simply asking, is this decision based on fear or love? Will it create fear or love?

When we serve our clients or customers, we can ask, is what I'm doing based on fear or love? As we are communicating with our spouse, children or friends, we can ask, am I communicating fear or love? When parents are scolding and yelling at their child, are they communicating fear or love? When they are praising and uplifting their child, are they communicating fear or love? When we are dealing with our co-workers, or our supervisors or bosses, are we communicating fear or love?

The wisdom of knowing is through awareness, acceptance, and allowing.


Allowing IS Unconditional Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Am I spreading fear or joy?

Daily Inspiration 3-20-20

"You can indeed afford to laugh at fear thoughts,

remembering that God goes with you wherever you go." 

-- A Course in Miracles 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-8-15]

Many times we may express to others something we dream of doing or intend on doing, only to hear them tell us to get real, that we may be off in a dream world, especially when our ideas are grand. 

Alan Cohen in his new book, A Course in Miracles Made Easy, says that "When others attempt to gobble your hopes in the shredder of doubt, Higher Power stands with you."

He quotes from A Course in Miracles: "'Who walks with me?' This question should be asked a thousand times a day until certainty has ended doubting and established peace." He continues, "When the world does not understand, accept, or support you, you do not walk alone. And if you should lose faith in yourself, God still has faith in you." 

"Happiness, well-being, and success are your birthright and your destiny. All else is a trick of the mind."

Of course, we may experience attacks on our desires and dreams from the outside, but the most persistent and the ones doing far more damage are the ones from the inside--our self-talk, our ultra-protective ego. The good news about that is that the ego has its place, but the ego is not us. It is a persistent voice sometimes, but we are far larger than that and we can choose to listen or not as we wish to because we are the ones who control our inner well-being or lack of it.

Next time you feel a desire to do something or dream up something that moves you momentarily, remember two huge things: One, you are always in control of your own well-being or lack of it. In other words, you accept control or you relinquish it. And, two, ask that wonderful and so-empowering question above: "Who walks with me?" and remember that God always has an unshakable faith in you. Always. 


Pure Joy Is Knowing Who Walks With You, Delights In You, Is Always Loving You, Adores You. Supports You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by relaxing in the peace of your inner knowing.

Daily Inspiration 3-19-20

"You have everything you need 

for complete peace 

and total happiness right now." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-6-15]

I love this quote by Wayne Dyer because it is so true because peace and happiness are not without--they are not out there, a place we arrive at, but simply a choice. Peace and happiness come from within, and so they are with us whenever we choose to allow them to be.

They say that at the end of a war, there is peace. That could never be true. There might be a ceasing of violent conflict, but peace is never a product of violence, and it is not a process that comes from action or activity. At the end of war there is a cessation of structured violence, but peace can only come from within. Can you be at peace within a war? Well, yes, by choosing to allow peace, and with that choice, you could no longer inflict violence on another.

How do you allow peace and happiness? By choosing peaceful and happy thoughts, As we do so, we are at peace and we are happy. Want it to last? Keep choosing them.


It's Not Rocket Science. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling your way through your day.

Daily Inspiration 3-18-20

"I have learned silence from the talkative, 

toleration from the intolerant, 

and kindness from the unkind; 

yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers."

-- Kahlil Gibran 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-5-15]

A while back I shared a quote by Albert K. Strong, that flows perfectly with Kahlil Gibran's quote above. It was this: "It's true, that out of diversity often will come conflict. Yet, it is just as true, that out of diversity will come harmony."

Consider this: Contrast and diversity are our best teachers. When stuff goes seemingly wrong, that is a great time to get EXCITED!

Here's another thing to consider: Maybe it's time to be grateful for the contrast and diversity, the trials and errors, the ups and downs, the ebb and flow going on in our lives. As Kahlil Gibran, in realizing that these contrasting situations and activities have taught him to appreciate something more in harmony with himself, he cannot help but have gratitude for their appearance in his life. He realizes that he has not been grateful and yet now that he realizes the value contained in them, he cannot help but be grateful.

I was out and about on errands yesterday blissfully enjoying myself and the beautiful day I was experiencing. At the bank, two girls were at their windows and I was floating in to take care of some business. One said that they were discussing the Pollyanna Principle and that is how they thought of me, and then she said that she feels like she gets a mini-therapy session whenever I come in. Wow. What nice things to say.

As I left the bank to walk Charlie (he loves to go for a walk around the bank), I was thinking about how few times in my life now that I have any negative thoughts worth considering, and how often I now pivot to a better way to see things when on the surface they may seem negative. I realized again that a happy life is simply choosing to see things as you want to see them.

A few days ago, I wrote about the sign on my wall of a quote from Abraham, Esther Hicks. It has now been there for years and yesterday I realized that I am pretty much living that now--so much more so than I realized before. It says, "Today, no matter where I am going and no matter what I am doing, it is my dominant intent to see that which I am wanting to see."

Getting excited about things that seem to go wrong, or be negative on the surface are miraculously changed by how we choose to see them. Just as Gibran realized his teachers were in that place, and that he learned to see their value to his growth, at some point he, as I have realized I now am, become excited about the bumps on the road of life.

Here's another way to see that. If you looked with a strong lens at the grooves in a vinyl record or even a CD, you would see all these little bumps. It is the bumps that is the music. Without the music, there would be no bumps.

Maybe we can look at life anew by seeing that the bumps are the music and without the bumps, there is no music. Maybe we could find joy in the bumps. Maybe we might even look forward with great anticipation of the bumps to come. Maybe we simply go with the flow and enjoy the whole of it all.


Which Brings Us Back To The Choice Being Strictly And Completely Up To Us. 

Spread Some Joy Today--May your highs be high, and your lows be higher.

Daily Inspiration 3-17-20

"The best way to predict the future 

is to create it." 

-- Abraham Lincoln 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-4-15]

Alan Cohen told a story in one of his Wisdom for Today emails of he and a friend eating at a Chinese restaurant, and at the end of the meal, they opened their fortune cookies and were both disappointed in their fortune. So he requested the waitress give them another because they didn't like their fortunes. The waitress brought a bowl of fortune cookies and Alan and his friend opened the cookies until they both found a fortune that they wanted and liked.

He added in the message, "When it comes to establishing your future, you can take what you are offered by others, or you can call unto you what you choose. If you like what you have before you, then bless it and enjoy it; if not, you have every right--and responsibility--to make for a new selection."

That reminds me of asking children, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" With rare exception, I would imagine the answer to change often. This year its a fireman, next year a nurse or doctor, then a rock star. Of course, we could ask that question at any age. And, I don't know about you, but at 66, I'm still wondering what I will be when I grow up.

The good news is that I get to choose. As Abraham, Esther Hicks likes to say, "I don't need to figure that out this red-hot minute. I'll figure it out as I go along." Which is what we all most likely do. We figure it out as we go along. I'm figuring it out as I go along. Today, I'm doing this, and tomorrow, I might do something different. I might up and make a dramatic change, or maybe just a little tweak here and there. It doesn't matter. I get to choose my fortune from a huge bowl of fortune cookies. 

Abraham, Esther Hicks adds to this idea: "Is it reality, or is it not reality? All things are reality. Even if only one is imagining it, it is a reality in that the thought has been offered and someone, who has the ability to translate that vibration, will perceive it. It must be fair to say that anything that can be perceived must be reality. Because, as creators, your reality depends upon what you are willing to imagine and allow."

We live in a world of contrast, and although that is a good thing because it helps us to know what we want or what we prefer, but it can sometimes be confusing. Ultimately, we all have the same experience of getting to choose. With billions of us on the planet today, there are potentially billions of choices. Whatever they are is cool. If it's cool with you. If it isn't; if contrast has caused you to want something else, then we each have the power to choose a new, better-feeling reality.


I Delight In Our Ability To Choose At Will. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing to feel the joy that is within you.

Daily Inspiration 3-16-20

"Today, no matter where I am going, 

and no matter what I am doing, 

it is my dominant intent 

to see that which I am wanting to see." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-3-15]

The above quote has been on a poster on my wall in my office for several years. It is a wonderful affirmation to start each day.

After yesterday's post and several very positive responses to it, I thought that it would be appropriate to linger on one idea expressed in it today. That idea is that we are in charge of our thinking and we are in charge of our actions, and as we change, the world around us does as well.

I would like to modify the above quote ever so slightly, yet ever so effectively for my purpose by restating it this way: "Today, no matter where I am going, and no matter what I am doing, it is my dominant intent to BE that which I am wanting to see."

As I ended yesterday, by giving unconditional love, I am experiencing unconditional love, and even better, I am teaching unconditional love, sharing it and spreading it, and living it. I am then, unconditional love.

Gandhi is quoted as saying, "If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him." He added, "we need not wait to see what others do."

I was talking with a salesman at a dealership, and in the last many weeks they have been going through an upheaval of change with people being fired, and an entirely new management team, and much more. (How many times I have seen this!) He was at a loss as to what to do because it is a process in motion and he is unclear about his future role.

I watched a movie last night where the guy said, "I don't like my job, but it is steady, and I hate my boss."

Drama is unfolding all around us. We often get caught up in it and react to it with anger, frustration, powerlessness. Yet, we don't need to wait to see what others do, and we need not wait to live according to the ideals that we want to see in others.

Instead of disappointment or despair seeing what others are doing, or how others are acting out their roles, whether in business environments or in our family lives, if we really want that to change, the only reliable change must come from within. Viktor Frankl said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."

If we want to have love in our lives, we need to give love, express love. In giving love, we are love, and when we are love, that love is multiplied. If we want peace, we need to exude peace, or we need to become peaceful. In doing so we become peace. If we want a kind and gentler boss, we need to become that kinder and gentler employee. If we want to have a better team, we need to become that better team member within ourselves. If we want a happier, more fulfilling life, we need to become that happier, more fulfilled person within. Then all of these things become without, or they change the environment around us. 

We need to become the person that we expect others to be toward us. We need to be what we expect to see in the world. We need to see in the world as we want to see it, situations the way we want to see them, other people to be the way we want to see them, and as we look for the qualities that we want to see, we automatically change to become more like a person with those qualities and then everything around us changes according to our vision and more importantly, our inner change.


I AM The Change I Want To See In The World. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by becoming joyful. It's easy. It requires no effort. Just let go of the rope.

Daily Inspiration 3-15-20

"'My son,' the father said, 

'you are always with me, 

and everything I have is yours. 

But we had to celebrate and be glad 

because this brother of yours 

was dead and is alive again; 

he was lost and is found.'" 

-- Luke 15:31-32

The Bible, NIV 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-2-15]

Yesterday I was thinking about unconditional love. I've written about it several times, and I think I understand it well enough, but what I was wondering yesterday was if I have ever actually experienced it toward me. In other words, have I ever felt real unconditional love?

I know that I have felt it for others because I think I understand it and so would recognize the offering, but I could not think of one instance in my life where I have felt it lavished on me. I seem to know that I have felt it before I was born into this body, but I have not known it on earth so far.

As I was thinking these thoughts, the Parable of the Lost Son or the Prodigal Son came to mind. This is often taught as a story of redemption and certainly, it is that, but to me, it is a tale of unconditional love. First, the father loved the younger son with all his heart, then when asked by the son to have his inheritance early so he could go off and experience that wealth, the father did so. When the son who left was completely broken down and coming home to beg his father pardon, not as a son, but as any common worker for him, his father rejoices and celebrates the return of the lost son.

Oh, I have experienced love, even deep love, when things are going well. I have even seen it when things were not going so well, but to pardon anything so brazen as in the Prodigal Son, or some of the many foolish things I've done in my life, no.

Now the father, by his time's standards and even the standards of today, anger for the actions of the son would be easy, and even deeper, stronger negative emotions would be condoned by most. Yet this father loved the son without condition, without respect for what he had done, without respect for how he had squandered his inheritance. He was welcomed as if no bad thing had ever happened and only that he was not there and then he returned. Amazing. I don't even think that the father had ill words while the son was missing because his love was without condition.

To love without condition, or to love unconditionally, is to not even see anything but love. There is no blame. There is no guilt. There are no grudges. There is no ill-speaking. There is nothing but love completely without any conditions.

Wayne Dyer's definition of unconditional love is my favorite. He says, "[Unconditional] love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you." We all have that same ability, but we do not all have that willingness. It is when we fail to satisfy the ideals of the other that challenge love. There are so many things that can and do go wrong. Many so-called hurts and pain. And, we have probably all experienced these from both sides, but unconditional love sees none of that, is not the least bit plugged into any of that, sees through to the core of us, and is full of compassion.

Have I felt and experienced unconditional love? Yes, but only from me to someone else. Yet that is experiencing unconditional love, isn't it? I have no expectations of receiving unconditional love, and I have no earthly recognition of having received it, yet it occurs to me that the most important thing is not receiving, but giving. If I am loving another without any condition that they satisfy me in any way, shape or form, then I am loving unconditionally, and I am experiencing unconditional love. And, just like the father in the story, who cares about any of that other stuff?


Either Way, I'm Still Feeling It! And, It Feels Magical! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by sharing love with others, lavishing them with praise, and seeing only that which they truly are beneath that which we see with our eyes.

Daily Inspiration 3-14-20

"Only when you are 

sensitive to the way you feel 

do you really know 

what your vibrational content is." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 11-1-15]

Continuing from yesterday's message about how our point of attraction can be recognized so that we can be more in control of what we attract into our lives. It was stated yesterday from Abraham, Esther Hicks that, "Your thoughts change the behavior of everyone and everything who has anything to do with you. For your thoughts absolutely equal your point of attraction, and the better you feel, the more everything and everyone around you improves." And, it is in the recognition of how we are feeling that tells us what we are attracting.

From Ask and It Is Given: "Some believe that they're focused upon the subject of a healthy body, when instead, they're focused on the fear of a sick body. Some believe that they're thinking about improving their financial situation, when instead, they're focused on not having enough money." 

They say, "every subject is really two subjects: something that you desire and the absence of something that you desire. If you do not understand that these are very different vibrational frequencies, then you may believe that you are focused on something that you desire, when you may, in fact, be focused in the opposite direction." 

One of their many processes to make it interesting and fun to find ways to stay in alignment with what we really want is, Which Thought Feels Better? (Process #13 of 22 in the book). They say that the game is best played when you are alone so that there are no outside influences, and in the beginning, it can be most helpful to write down how you feel about a subject. As you look at that, they suggest you expand on that feeling, then write a statement that you think feels better. Some statements may not feel better or might feel worse, but as you go through the process, of trying to find a better feeling thought, you will change your vibration toward feeling better about the subject you're considering and yourself at the same time.

After you have played the game so that you understand how you use it, you can easily do it in your mind as your thoughts are coming to you.

Here's a simplified idea of this: "Which thought feels better, to appreciate or to condemn? Which thought feels better, to applaud what you have done, or to feel critical that you did not do enough?" 

When I talk about the importance of feeling good, some have said to me that life is not all about feeling good. Then they go on about all the things going wrong in the world, violence, and a long list of ills, and that things happen and stuff happens, and you just can't go around feeling good all the time! Well, I have to let them have their way. If they want to feel bad, okay. If they want to focus on what is wrong, okay. If they want to find more ways to feel bad, okay--for them. It is not okay for me. We cannot change another, we can only change ourselves. So, it is best to let people make their own choices. I'm okay with that, but I'm not going to the dark side just because someone has a long list of ills in the world and they feel passionate about them.

I think most would agree that they really, truly want to feel better or to feel good. Yesterday I felt fabulous all day long and it was such a joy to feel that. That's what I'm talkin' about! So, this process of asking ourselves, Which thought feels better? can be helpful in finding more ways to feel good and fewer ways of feeling bad. That is its only purpose.


Which Thought Feels Better? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by taking your happy pill and feeling good.

Daily Inspiration 3-13-20

"Your thoughts 

change the behavior 

of everyone 

and everything 

who has anything to do with you." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-31-15]

I've been using and loving my Ask and It Is Given Perpetual Flip Calendar now for about three years. That means that every short message that I see each day is the same short message I saw last time this date came around. And yet, some just jump off the page at me even today. They don't all jump off the page, but some just hit me at the right time where my head is at, and, "Hey Minion, check this out!" Or, "Hey Terry, write about this!"

Yesterday's message was like that, and as I pondered that all day yesterday and then got up this morning to the message for today, I think how perfect it is--for me. The simplicity of it is astounding. So, I'll share it just in case it means something to you.

Yesterday's message began with the quote above: "Your thoughts change the behavior of everyone and everything who has anything to do with you." That is what jumped off the page at me. Consider it--my thoughts change the behavior of everyone around me and any and all circumstances, events, etc., that have anything to do with me. How powerful that statement is. My thoughts not only change my own behavior, events, circumstances, and more, it changes all those around me.

The message continues, "For your thoughts absolutely equal your point of attraction, and the better you feel, the more everything and everyone around you improves. In the moment that you find an improved feeling, conditions and circumstances change to match your feeling. . . . Playing the Which Thought Feels Better? game will help you begin to realize the power that your own thoughts have to influence everything around you." 

My point of attraction is where ever I am now, the person I have become so far, my awareness so far, so what is coming into my life has everything to do with this position and these things. When I look at my life and what I am attracting into my life now, I can see that it is dramatically different from what I used to attract into my life before I was even aware that I was doing such. It's not like I am now at the point where I control everything, but at the same time, that is exactly true--I am controlling everything.

You probably know people who seem to be going through one shit-storm after another. I call it being the pinball in a pinball game as opposed to being the player in the game, bouncing off one issue to another, racking up blaming points, getting flipped around, and so much more. Jim Rohn used to say that, "things like that just seem to happen to people like you," when someone would complain about circumstances and how all these things are fighting them--and apparently winning. It's clear to me that they happen because of our point of attraction and awareness at that time. I see people in those circumstances today (actually I don't see very many because they are no longer on my radar) and I totally understand how those things are happening to them.

Sometimes people might say, "what were you thinking?" when someone makes what appears to be a grand error, and in reality, that is probably the perfect question to ask; albeit, the attitude of the asker, in this case, is not really interested in greater learning or guidance, but only condemnation and their own method of blame.

I'll continue tomorrow with more about the game, Which Thought Feels Better? and how it is a perfect way to help change the thoughts that change our point of attraction.


My Entire World Is Controlled By My Thoughts. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by deciding that it is a good choice for the day.

Daily Inspiration 3-12-20

"There is a word for the difference

between wanting to do and choosing to do. 

It's called action." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-29-15]

When I was a little kid, there used to be a saying, 'wishes are for fishes.' I still haven't got a clue where that came from or why fish get all the wishes, but I think the gist of it was that you can think about something, want something, wish for something, hope for something, but nothing happens without some kind of activity.

I was thinking this morning about a long list of things that I want or would like to do. I have three stacks of books that I want to read, I want to rearrange my office, minimize the clutter (there is so much going on in this room!), try certain recipes in the kitchen, make and drink more fresh green juice, become thin again, and well, I'm sure you have your own list and yours might even be as long as mine.

I wonder how much time and energy, fret and concern that I have experienced over the years of the things that I haven't yet chosen to do? Whew! I know it has to be a lot.

I have a book I would love to read. It is The Wartime Journals of Charles A. Lindbergh. It has been on the bookshelf facing me for years. I've picked it up a few times and read a couple of bits. It's well over 1,000 pages, and I'm certain that it is fascinating based on the tidbits I've tasted, but it remains unread, right along with the three stacks on the other side of the room.

Yet, I have several books on my side desk with bookmarks of where I am in them and they are all being actively read, although I'm not in a hurry as I am enjoying them in pieces and sort of studying them, making notes, and highlights too.

Is the difference in the depth of my desire? That might be one way to look at it, but I think it is as the quote above states, the difference between wanting and choosing. The difference is in the activity or the action. I have not yet chosen to read the Lindbergh book, so there is no activity or action to do so. Whenever I choose to read it, I'm certain that I will.

Until something gets on to my to-do list, or rather until I choose to do it, whatever it is that I think I want to do or might like to do is not important. I no longer (well, it's a work in progress to better state the truth) let any of that those un-choices to interfere with the real choices. Some day, the un-choices may actually move over to the choice column, but it doesn't really matter.

The more I worry about what isn't getting done, the less I tend to get done, and the more guilt or other negative feelings I experience. When I focus on what I am choosing to do and let all the rest become insignificant, I feel good, and even if I don't complete it in a timely manner, or even if I choose to not complete it on purpose, I still feel good and that I have become more in the process.


When I Choose, I Control My Experience. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing to do so. Otherwise, it will not be done.

Daily Inspiration 3-11-20

"Love is the ultimate 

and the highest goal 

 to which man can aspire." 

-- Viktor Frankl 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-28-15]

In his brilliant book that was just released this month, Alan Cohen keeps it real, easy and short in A Course In Miracles Made Easy. He states in the book from anecdotes that many had bought the original A Course In Miracles, but very few had actually read it through. I know this from personal experience. Reading it was a daunting task and I learned much in the messages in A Course In Miracles through another learned interpreter, Marianne Williamson, and her very popular and delightful book, A Return To Love. I highly recommend that book as well as Alan's new book.

For all intent and purposes, Alan Cohen explains perfectly what A Course In Miracles is all about. "Every moment, the Course tells us, offers us a choice between fear and love. . . the only real choice is between fear and love. Fear hurts and love heals. All else is detail. The fearful mind spins a web of complexity that makes the hardships of the world seem inescapable. A Course In Miracles tells us that life does not have to be hard and the world that fear has fabricated is entirely escapable. Boil every choice down to what heals versus what hurts, answer fear with love, and you will find the peace you seek."

This isn't some airy-fairy philosophy. This is a real choice for us throughout every single day and every aspect of our lives. We get to choose how we respond to the stimuli around us, and we can most easily tell what we are experiencing when we pay attention to how we are feeling. There are only two feelings; albeit, there are many names we've given varying degrees of those feelings. The only two feelings are feeling good and feeling bad or not good. Love will always feel good. Not love will always feel off or bad. That's how easy it can be. There's only one requirement of us, and that is to simply notice and then make our decisions. At least then we will be living on purpose whatever choices we make.

Here's a great game to play: As you go through your day and you notice something, or you are being presented with a choice, ask yourself, 'what would love do?' Then, just for the heck of it, ask, 'what would fear do?' Then ask, 'which will I choose right now?' Again, whichever is chosen, at least it is chosen consciously.

One other tiny thing to pay attention to. The results of the choice. That could be telling. . .


How Much More In Charge Can We Be? It's All Choices. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing love.

Daily Inspiration 3-10-20

"It's true, that out of diversity

often will come conflict. 

Yet, it is just as true, 

that out of diversity 

will come harmony." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-27-15]

I agree with the quote above, and though we may not want to admit it, conflict and harmony can both be valuable, and they are also choices of what we either expect from past experiences to happen, or it is dependent on what we are searching for.

Here's a great question: What do we get out of sameness? Abraham, Esther Hicks said this: "The most magnificent Creators don't want to get together with people who think just like they do. They're looking for people who have other thoughts because out of the contradiction, come ideas that could not be born out of sameness. Your relationships will be ultimately more if you're not identical twins just "yessing, yessing, yessing" to everything that the other one is about."

How often people get into groups that agree with one another, or at least on the surface that might be true. Yet, what are they learning? What they already know?

What I loved about that quote from Abraham was this line, "because out of the contradiction, come ideas that could not be born out of sameness." Based on that exciting line, a contradiction can be a huge asset.

I can still hear my mother saying to me, "don't contradict me!" and me replying (in my head, of course!), "I will if I want to!" I guess I've always challenged authority in one way or another. . .


Get Excited About Contradiction And Diversity And Challenge. That's Where The Fun And Excitement Is. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding the harmony in all things.

Daily Inspiration 3-9-20

"In an age where there is so much talk 

about "being yourself," I reserve to myself 

the right to forget about being myself, 

since in any case, there is very little chance 

of my being anybody else." 

-- Thomas Merton 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-26-15]

I love this quote by Thomas Merton. It's true that there is a lot of talk and publications about being yourself, finding yourself, becoming more of yourself, and so on. It reminds me of a dog chasing its tail in a circle without success.

At the same time, there is something to the idea that we find out how best to be ourselves, finding ourselves, and being more of that which we are, and I think I've found what all of that means and how to be more authentic.

I think that being ourselves is tantamount to enjoying being alive--to enjoy ourselves, to enjoy our life, to feel good, and to have very little or no fear, regret, anxiety. We do that by aligning with the spirit within, our inner being, our inner knowing, the God within. We know we are aligned when we are feeling good. We know we are out of alignment when we are feeling bad, fearful, anxious, frustrated, and so on. So, number one, being ourselves is simply to be in alignment with our inner selves. The inner and the outer in unison. When that happens, we are whole, and at peace, connected to our joy, full of love, recognizing and enjoying our life.

Second, or rather, this really should be first, finding ourselves, or our authentic self is to recognize how we are feeling and know that we truly want to feel good. Feeling good comes from that feeling of alignment within ourselves. We would then equally recognize when we are feeling bad, and now we know what that means, and that leads us to what to do about it in order to feel better: choose better feeling thoughts. Even dinky little steps help a lot. We might move from anger to worry, and that is an improvement, then from worry, we can move up to frustration, then into hope, and on to optimism, to passion, to love. That's all the control we really need--recognizing what is going on, and knowing how to move to a better place.

Other people can see it in us. You can recognize it perfectly in others. People might say, "something is wrong with George today. He's not himself. He's normally easy going and nice and today, well. . . something is off." We sense the vibrations of others by how they are feeling, and we can feel it within ourselves at the same time.

It's all about alignment. When we are aligned, we are our authentic selves. When we are out of alignment, we are easily confused about that. Being more of ourselves is simply being more in alignment. 

Think of it as tuning a stringed instrument. When the vibrations of the tuning fork and the string are in alignment, the string is in tune and the instrument sounds like it was meant to sound and music can be played. When the string is out of tune, the music played is not so good, and the more out of tune, the less it even sounds like music. And, just like we can take that out of tune instrument and get it back in tune, we have all the power we need to do the same within ourselves.


Being Yourself Is Just Like Being In Tune With Life. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying yourself. That's how easy it is.

Daily Inspiration 3-8-20

"Everything reminds us of something." 

-- Elizabeth Gilbert 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-25-15]

Some books I devour, while others I sip like a fine cognac, and Elizabeth Gilbert's newest book, Big Magic - Creative Living Beyond Fear, is one that I'm enjoying a little bit at a time. I'm only one-third of the way through and I've had the book for over a month. I delight in the way she puts words together, so I've also been reading it aloud.

I was thinking the past few days about these Daily Inspirations and that after thousands of them, I've repeated many themes many times and I'm always looking for something new, and how slow that seemed to come sometimes.

Then, yesterday, I picked up Big Magic and read the sub-chapter heading, Originality vs. Authenticity, and I was relieved, excited, and amazed at the same time. It has to be the shortest one in the book, lasting only one and a half pages, but it jumped out at me like it was the message from the book that was totally meant for me--and, anyone else who is thinking about creating something.

She begins by saying, "Maybe you fear that you are not original enough. Maybe that's the problem--you're worried that your ideas are commonplace and pedestrian, and therefore unworthy of creation." Wow. Commonplace and pedestrian. What a fascinating phrase. She sews in a word to a sentence that just makes me smile. I could not have imagined the word pedestrian in that sentence, yet it tickled me so. But, I digress...

She continues, "Aspiring writers will often tell me, "I have an idea, but I'm afraid it's already been done."

She answers, "Well, yes, it probably has already been done. Most things have already been done--but they have not yet been done by you."

She talks about how Shakespeare, in his lifetime, pretty much covered every storyline there is, and yet for all these centuries, they have been restated again and again. She adds, "So what if we repeat the same themes?... We're all related, after all, so there's going to be some repetition of creative instinct. Everything reminds us of something. But once you put your own expression and passion behind an idea, that idea becomes yours."

To bring this idea some closure, she says, "the older I get, the less impressed I become with originality. These days, I'm far more moved by authenticity. Attempts at originality can often feel forced and precious, but authenticity has quiet resonance that never fails to stir me."

And so she says for us to "just say what you want to say, then, and say it with all your heart," and to "share whatever you are driven to share," and, if it is authentic enough, believe me--it will feel original."

This is part of the chapter titled, Permission, and how we need to give ourselves permission to do what we want to do without reservation or restriction. Whatever you feel a desire to do, the most important thing I think is to allow yourself that expression--to do, to put it out there, whatever it is. It's only silly fears that keep us from that place, or worrying whether it has been done before, or done better, or whatever craziness our ego comes up with. Just do it is a perfect three words to live by. Just do it. And, in the doing will be every reward.


You Are Free To Create At Will. Share Your Uniqueness. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing yourself the pleasure of doing just that.

Daily Inspiration 3-7-20

"Today would be a perfect day 

to have a perfect day." 

-- Alan Cohen 

New: Audio version

[Classic post from 10-24-15]

Yesterday, I was out doing some errands. It was a beautiful day. I was feeling good. Charlie was enjoying himself riding along. Traffic was typical for a Friday afternoon, yet I was generally unaffected by the congestion. The freeway was gridlock going east which is normal for a Friday afternoon, so I took surface streets to get across town. It takes longer, but not on Friday, and there is more scenery anyway.

I dealt with several people of widely varied ages during the trip and most were amazed at how happy I was. The bank, the grocery store, the pet store, they were all not so happy, yet cordial. The grocery store lady was probably in her 50s and she said she would be happy after this day was over because it has been a long one, the bank girl in her 20s was so looking forward to the weekend. The pet store girl in her 30s would soon be off shift and would be feeling better soon.

I've mentioned these kinds of scenarios before, but as I was talking with the bank manager who asked me about the weekend ahead, I said, 'I don't look forward to weekends anymore. I think it is because I have so much freedom in my life now that I just enjoy every day.' Then this morning as I am writing this, I think that I am living more in the moment than I ever have before.

I love how Abraham, Esther Hicks explains it: "Your life is right now! It's not later! It's not in that time of retirement. It's not when the lover gets here. It's not when you've moved into the new house. It's not when you get the better job. Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it's not ever going to get better than right now--until it gets better right now!" 

It's wonderful to eagerly anticipate something coming into our lives, but it is the full enjoyment of what is already in our lives at this very moment that is our life being enjoyed. 

I was looking at an article I wrote for the current issue of a magazine called, Prime Time Living, a magazine focused on seniors, where I asked, "When is my prime? Right now." I'll share just the first paragraph with you: "I've heard people say, "He was in his prime." By who's definition is that? Most likely it wasn't the person they were referring to. Eckhart Tolle reminds us, "The only place you can ever encounter the future, is in your head," and "Nothing can ever happen in the past. It can only happen now." So, when is my prime? Right now. This moment. No 'he was' or 'she was' or 'he will be,' or 'she will be.' There is only now, so the only time there could ever be prime is now."

I can remember living like the people I interacted with yesterday, and I am certain that one of the best changes in my life has been learning to or rather, allowing myself to enjoy the moments without needing or wanting them to be something else. All of us live in the moment. That is when life is for all of us. As we learn to enjoy these moments rather than wishing we were somewhere else, the more joy we experience, and the more we have the life we want.


Your Value Is Unquestionable. Your Purpose Is To Experience Life. All The Rest Is Variable, And Completely Under The Realm Of Our Own Choosing, Moment By Moment. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Yes. Today seems right.