Daily Inspiration 5-14-13

"Affirm sufficiency."

 

-- Alan Cohen

As I read this short phrase over and over again, I see so clearly that this is the place to always start from. It is not lack that drives us for more effectively, but wholeness and a desire for something more or different.


Start From The Beginning. Affirm Sufficiency.

Spread Some Joy Today--Learn to enjoy weather, whatever it may be at any given time. Love every day.

Daily Inspiration 5-13-13

"It is one of the beautiful compensations of life

that no man can sincerely try to help another

without helping himself."

 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The more I help others, the more I learn and thereby help myself. I am finding this out most recently in services I would not have anticipated. It is indeed a learning experience and through the service, I have grown and become more. That is more than a fair trade. It is a bargain.


It's Probably Worked That Way All Along And I Wasn't Paying Attention.

Spread Some Joy Today--There's nothing quite like giving without any expectation of return.

Daily Inspiration 5-12-13

"I am not here to change the world.

I am changing the world because I am here."

 

-- Lisa Wilson

The above quote and a selection of others for Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers past, now and in the future.

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." -- Rajneesh

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." -- Abraham Lincoln

"Most mothers are instinctive philosophers." -- Harriet Beecher Stowe

"Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible." -- Marion C Garretty


Happy Mother's Day!

Spread Some Joy Today--You already are.

Daily Inspiration 5-11-13

"The only person you are destined to become

is the person you decide to be."

 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yesterday, I walked into a business I used to be associated with, saw someone whom I know and he knows me and instantly he said to me, "wow! It looks like you swallowed a watermelon." Some people are exceedingly honest in their response to my image and he has known me to be somewhat thinner. I laughed, and I knew, of course, that he was right.

Someone else told me today, "you're a really good man." I accepted the comment and I felt as if he was right. In this case and the case above, I made those choices. I didn't want to look like someone who swallowed a watermelon, but I made the choices of what to eat and how often. I also made the choice to be a good man, a kind person, an encourager when I can.

Early in my life I thought about my "destiny." What did God bring me here to do? Why am I here? These were questions that I wanted answers for, but I ignored my choices and the results of the choices as my destiny. I thought maybe it was something I was supposed to find.

I guess you could say I found it, though it was too obvious: I get to choose, and to choose I cannot avoid. The next thing was to become comfortable with my choices.

Alan Cohen, a favorite author says it differently, and yet so appropriately:


Your Whole Life Changes When You Realize You Are Enough.

Spread Some Joy Today--Accept your choices as if they were on purpose. In reality, they are.

Daily Inspiration 5-10-13

"Faith is the direct realization of power."

-- Eckhart Tolle

I was a late bloomer to learn of Eckhart Tolle, and have since read several books, rented all of his available DVD's and listened to several hours of audio programs. At first I thought he was an acquired taste due to his very subdued presence, but I grew to love that aspect, and have enjoyed getting to know his messages and continue to do so, only not so heavily as in the last couple of years.

Tonight I ran across this video on YouTube and was so fond of the message that I wanted to share it in the CTS Daily Inspirations.

In this video, he spells out the difference between belief and faith so well that I cannot recall ever hearing anything that made more sense to me. Here's part of what he said that hit home with me:

"There is a huge difference between belief and faith. Faith is an inner--a better word for it would be trust--an inner deep trust in life, God, Universal Intelligence, whatever you want to call it. It is a sense of deep trust that can only be there when you're connected with that which is beyond the mind, because it is the mind where belief operates. So you have to go deeper than belief to find faith. Faith is the direct realization of power."

If you listen to the whole 3 minute piece, there is more, but the gist of it is what I just quoted. In that, my greatest take-away is that it is a deep trust in something outside of the mind and that which is All that is not the mind. Sounds like double talk, but it's so clear now to me how big of a difference there is between belief and faith.

 

Wonderful Insights. Thank you! Eckhart Tolle

Spread Some Joy Today--Find your direct realization of power. It probably means not hunting, but instead, letting go. . .

Daily Inspiration 5-9-13

"We'll never be ready.

So I guess that means

we're as ready as we'll ever be."

 

-- Neal Shusterman

I know better, but I procrastinate so much. There are things I want to do and yet I think to myself that I don't know how to do it, I don't have the money, I don't have the talent, and the list drones on. I say I know better because so many of the things that I have begun were started on a whim, or an idea and without a grand plan.

I love this quote by Robert Brault which helps me: "Never act until you have clearly answered the question, What happens if I do nothing? What a wonderful question to answer when you're in the middle of procrastination. Then, there is a quote by Nicolas de Chamfort, which says, "Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live." Wise words, indeed.

I find that I have several projects that I want to do and keep putting them off. I'm too busy. I have so much going on already. You know the drill. Truth is, if you want something done, give it to a busy person. Every time I think I am busy, I think of President John Adams as told by David McCullough in the famous book, John Adams. When I read about him, I think I am a lazy person!

It's not about accomplishing things and seeing how many I can get done either. It is just passion for a certain thing and my not knowing exactly how to go about it perhaps, but I have to remind myself that the best way to begin is to begin. Otherwise, it will never get started.

So, I am beginning a new project without all the answers. In fact, I have very few answers, but I want to do it nonetheless. So I begin.


I Begin Right Now. I've Made Some Calls And I Am Moving Forward.

Spread Some Joy Today--How many things have you put off? Is today a good time to reconsider and begin anew?

Daily Inspiration 5-8-13

"We'll never be good at things

we have to try to be good at."

 

-- Danielle Laporte

I don't know if I agree totally with Danielle's statement, but I agree that we are all good at some things and at others we struggle. Sometimes in that struggle, we keep on struggling because we think we should be good at it or we think with enough effort we could be good at it and so on.

What I think is more important is whether we are satisfied and fulfilled by what we are doing. That tells more of the story when we add that to the results, whatever they may be.

I've hired a lot of salespeople over the years. One sticks out in my mind as having the basics, a stellar attitude, able to communicate with others. The trouble was that he just couldn't close sales. Well, to be fair, he was very poor at it.

Closing the sale is not something that comes at the end of a session with a prospect, it begins at the beginning. So, by the time this gentleman (and that he was and is) sat the folks down at the end, I couldn't come in and make enough difference most of the time because of what had gone before.

It was a sad day, but I finally had to let him go. The problem was that he was killing sales for the company, not just missing opportunities for himself. At the time I was sad about it, but after a short while, I realized it was the best thing possible for him because it set him free. He was free to find something that he could be good at.

I also know that he was good at what he previously did which was totally unrelated to sales. In this case, he was looking for a job and found one, and while thinking he could do it, he tried and it didn't work out.

Often we look at getting fired as a devastating event, but if we were to look at it with fresh eyes, I think we will find that it was instead a momentous occasion leading us closer to doing something we are really good at.


Failing IS An Option. It Tell Us Much Worth Paying Full Attention To.

Spread Some Joy Today--Do you feel really good about what you do? Are you really good at it?

Daily Inspiration 5-7-13

"Love me when I least deserve it,

because that's when I really need it."

 

-- Swedish Proverb

  I realize now in a sort of "ah-ha" moment, that I am always and constantly being challenged. Sometimes I'm challenged to perform, others to develop and expand skills or attributes. Sometimes I'm challenged to change, adapt, grow and improve. Other times I am challenged to love when it isn't easy, have patience when you naturally feel anger instead.

I never thought much about the word challenge until my dear friend Warren, who took over my position at a previous company started using that word. I used to allow frustration to have its way with me all too often, and he called them challenges instead. The difference was clear in how to view the situation. His view was very positive and a healthy response, whereas often, mine was not so good and a reaction rather than a response. You see, he inspired me!

He inspired me to step back and look at a wider view; to be less concerned about the specific situation, and more concerned with not reacting to it, but taking it at its face value--at least for now--and then, responding intelligently and calmly with a confidence that can only be developed by surveying the situation with an impartial unconnected view.

Warren inspired me to detach myself from the so-called problem, allow it to be what it is for the moment, and view it more as a stranger than a participant. It's sort of like being an outside consultant within your own company. Of course, this is the greatest value of an outside consultant. They have the opportunity (and responsibility) to view something that is personal to others as something very impersonal. They can see a different view of the same thing we see.

Lately, I am challenged in ways I would not have imagined. It is as if I am being tested to see what I'm made of. I am challenged to love when it isn't easy. I am challenged to have patience when I want to scream. I am challenged to do things I never ever thought I would do. I am challenged to deal with a massive number of interruptions, and I am challenged to enjoy life in the process. Mostly, as Warren taught me so well, I am challenged to view each situation a bit impersonally in the grander view, while being fully functional and attached personally via my emotions of love, patience, kindness, endurance, and service.


I Am Practicing And Becoming Grateful For The Challenges Because They Cause Growth In Many Ways, And Growth Is, After All, Life.

Spread Some Joy Today--Rise to your challenges today!

Daily Inspiration 5-6-13

"All paths are the same; they lead nowhere. . .

In my own life I could say I have traversed long,

long paths, but I am not anywhere. My benefactor's

question has meaning now. Doe this path have a heart?

If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use.

Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't.

One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it,

you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life.

One makes you strong; the other weakens you."

 

-- from the teachings of Don Juan,

by Carlos Castaneda

Today was a unique day. I was home and going through some things and came across some old diaries and writings of mine. I skimmed because there were reams of typewritten paper. It sounded as if I was wading through a swamp of depressed thoughts and frustrating experiences. But, my overall outlook was positive--on paper, anyway.

The truth is that as I looked back at that time in the 80's, I saw a lot of learning and struggling to find a better way. My first thought was to burn the whole thing. Then I had another thought. Though there are some circumstances that are similar now as to then, there is a dramatic difference in how I feel about things.

When I read about how I felt in the early, mid and late 1980s, I noticed what is different now than then. In reality, the only real difference is that I consciously choose how I want to feel now. I choose joy more often. Back then, I was blaming circumstances, other people and events. I was working hard, and trying hard and things just didn't seem to change a whole lot. I was choosing how I felt then too, and it was more often unhappy and frustrated. I was directed by external things and events and now that is the opposite.

It was kind of hard to look at that stuff, even when skimming, but it enlightened me to the difference in my life now and how happy I am in comparison. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything more or less that I have now or then, and it is simply and only based on choosing how I feel based on my choice and not anything external.

The other thing that stands out now versus then is that now I focus on the present as much as possible and then I focused on the past and the future.

To me that is a massive success!


The Past Matters Little. It Just Was. What Really Matters Is My Choices Right NOW.

Spread Some Joy Today--Isn't is so empowering to know that we all have the same exact power to choose how we want to feel?

Daily Inspiration 5-5-13

"Our best thoughts come from others."

 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I read this quote, I had to agree. I know that for me, I learn from so many people, books they've written, audio programs, and I think I am a composite of all of that. I know the influences as I speak them, think them, and live them.


The More The Better . . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Love your learning self!

Daily Inspiration 5-4-13

"Write it on your heart

that every day

is the best day in the year."

 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let the "good old days" be gone. When every day is the best day of the year, the good days are all in the present. Anyone who has "good old days" has an anchor in the past. Make today the best day because in reality it is the only day.


"Though We Travel The World Over To Find The Beautiful, We Must Carry It With Us Or We Find It Not." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spread Some Joy Today--Make it a perfect day. Nothing is incorrect or wrong. It is all what it is: Perfect.

Daily Inspiration 5-3-13

"Always be willing to look

at both sides of the argument.

Understanding the other side is

the best way to strengthen your own."

 

-- Jim Rohn

This is such great advice for sales, and also applies to virtually any communication. It is so easy to be focused on what we want whether we are talking to a prospect for our product or services and not consider the person we are talking to. Oh sure, we like to think we are. We think they can use our product and/or service and we know for sure it will benefit them, but are we really understanding their side? Most often, probably not.

Another thing that really stood out for me in this quote is the very last part: it is the best way to strengthen our own argument, presentation, communication. Instead of thinking that sheer practice will help us with our argument or point of view, by doing whatever we can to understand the others position, we are strengthening our own. Isn't that interesting?

Perhaps you remember the famous and wonderful book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In that book, habit number five is Seek First To Understand, Then Be Understood.


Great Advice From Two Masters.

Spread Some Joy Today--Ask more questions.

Daily Inspiration 5-2-13

"What difference does it make?"

 

-- Common frustrated response indicating powerlessness

I don't know why this phrase above popped into my head this afternoon, but it did. As I looked at it in print (generally, I only heard it from my own lips or those of others), I thought about it in another way that seemed interesting, so I thought I would share it.

What if we asked this question more often, but expected ourselves to answer it? For example, you might be thinking that you have to do something, but maybe you aren't thrilled about it, or you have a lot on your plate already. So, you think, 'I have to do this, but I'm dragging my feet. What difference will it make?' It would be good then to have a pen and paper nearby and start writing down the answers. You may find that the list is far longer than you would have imagined once you think about the potential difference your doing the thing would create. You might even be amazed at the difference you can make.

We could even take the question a step further: 'What difference can I make?' An excellent question to try to answer. The reality is that each of us makes a difference in a lot of ways we don't think about. Taking a few minutes to look at that and make a list can be a real game changer to how we might look at things that we get involved in or need to do. Can you make a difference? That would be answered, 'of course!'

Maybe next time you hear someone say, 'what's the difference?' you might begin a list aloud to them demonstrating how much of a difference they can make. This reminds me of that ad from long ago showing a plain old straight piece of wire and next to it a paper clip, with the caption, 'just a little twist makes all the difference,' or something to that effect. Yes. All the difference.


A Different Point Of View Can Have You See A Thing In A Whole Different Light.

Spread Some Joy Today--Go out and make a difference. You cannot help it in fact. Might as well do it on purpose then . . .

Daily Inspiration 5-1-13

"The ultimate maturity is kindness."

 

-- Alan Cohen

Words worth contemplating. I wouldn't have fully understood this except in the last few years. Wonderful message.


One Of The Ideals To Actively Move Toward.

Spread Some Joy Today--There's no time like the present to begin.