Daily Inspiration 12-9-14

"The subconscious mind. . .
makes no distinction
between constructive
and destructive thought impulses. 
It works with the material we feed it, 
through our thought impulses. 
The subconscious mind 
will translate into reality 
a thought driven by fear 
just as readily 
as it will translate into reality 
a thought driven by courage, or faith."

-- Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't

If you like to win, but you think you can't,

It is almost certain you won't

If you think you'll lose, you're lost

For out of the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow's will--

It's all in the state of mind

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You've got to think high to rise,

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But soon or late the man who wins

Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!

-- Walter D. Wintle

Yes, I Can Because I Think I Can!

Spread Some Joy Today--Give Praise To God (or whatever name you like) For Everything You See Today!

Daily Inspiration 12-8-14

"O. Henry discovered the genius 
which slept within his brain 
after he had met with great misfortune, 
and was confined to a prison cell, 
in Columbus, Ohio. 
Being forced, through misfortune, 
to become acquainted with his "other self," 
and to use his imagination, 
he discovered himself 
to be a great author 
instead of a miserable criminal and outcast."

-- Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

I absolutely love these kinds of quotes and stories of people who became very famous, yet some were very late bloomers. It ain't over, till it's over!

Long ago, I bought a huge collection of business books on tape and most were biographies of famous business people like Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and famous businesses like Xerox, IBM and so on. There is one that stood out for me with this aspect of late bloomers. It was Col. Harlan Sanders and Kentucky Fried Chicken. He didn't even begin to become successful until he was 65. He failed so many times that he stopped counting and just kept going. It's an amazing story.

Abraham Lincoln failed at everything he tried until after age 40. Edison, Charles Dickens, Helen Keller, Robert Burns, they were all failures until they were successes. And the list goes on and on and on.

Just because you fail at something, that is no reason to believe that you will fail again. Failing is not a problem. Giving up is. Edison tried over 10,000 times to make the electric light he dreamed of in his head a reality. He failed that many times and more before he succeeded. Reggie Jackson is a star baseball player who happens to lead the pack in career strikeouts at 2,597. Nobody talks about his strikeouts.

You will be served well if you allow yourself to fail. If you are willing to fail, you have a far greater chance of succeeding. I have made and continue to make mistakes. I used to brood about them, now I learn from them. Yet, I am willing to make more of them because I know that each failed attempt or missed target is an opportunity. I learn and grow and become more.

There's an old saying, "wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes." And, of course, learning from the mistakes.

Give yourself the gift of hope and patience, along with a good dose of eagerness. Be willing and keep trying. Some of the world's greatest people were still trying at a late age and I'm sure that we are all glad they kept trying.

It's all good. You're covered. Take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back!


There's Always A Way!

Spread Some Joy Today--Treat Yourself To Something You Want. People Will Notice That Look On Your Face!

Daily Inspiration 12-7-14

"A quiet secluded life in the country, 

with the possibility of being useful 

to people to whom it is easy to do good, 

and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; 

then work which one hopes may be of some use; 

then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor; 

such is my idea of happiness." 

-- Leo Tolstoy 

Yes, and amen!


It's Amazing What We Can Learn From Other People's Desires And Dreams--Maybe Even Our Own.
Spread Some Joy Today--by choosing the best feeling thoughts you can all day long.

Daily Inspiration 12-6-14

"Do you want the problem 

or do you want the answer?"

-- A Course in Miracles 

How often have I focused so much on the problem that this is all I would see. I couldn't see the problem solved, I was far too busy repeating and even exaggerating the problem to keep it alive and well. Though I would outwardly state that I wanted a solution, I would often fight anyone who wanted to help me find a solution. The fact remained that I was getting something from the problem that the solution could not provide.

Then, other times, I might be ready to solve the problem and stop yakking about it to everyone, but my stinking thinking was like a dog chained to a post. I just couldn't get away from the problem.

Albert Einstein's great quote about problems is still helpful even today. He said, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." In other words, I have to find a new way to think and act and be focused far more on the solution than on the problem.

It's amazing how many problems can be solved when we let go of them. In some cases, that is all we need to do--just let go--and in the letting go, the solution is immediately apparent. At the very least, just turning away from the problem is enough to get on to a new kind of thinking that will help us solve it.


This, Of Course, Assumes That You Are Ready To Have The Problem Solved. Not Everyone Is Ready. 

Spread Some Joy Today--It's Saturday. Have a wonderful day.

Daily Inspiration 12-5-14

"Hello. Yes, this is Mr. Kadam. 

I'm the chairman of Kadam Enterprises." 

 -- Papa Kadam 

from the movie The Hundred-Foot Journey 

I just watched The Hundred-Foot Journey movie which was just released a couple days ago for video. I really enjoyed it and the characters.

With Papa Kadam's quote, I thought how interesting that statement was, and how profound at the same time. He was absolutely right. He was the Chairman of Kadam Enterprises. I am the Chairman of Minion Enterprises, you are the Chairman of (Your Last Name) Enterprises. It could be a large family as in this movie, but each is the Chairman of their enterprises. Each is in charge of all the direction and action and activity. Each is in charge of the choices and decisions. Each is in charge of how they want things to be.

There are times when even the Chairman must make compromises, go slowly over speed bumps, drive cautiously through school zones and such. It is a co-creative endeavor, this life, yet fully we each are in charge of far more than we give ourselves credit for.


So Go For It. You're In Charge! You Are The Chairman Or Chairwoman. 

Spread Some Joy Today--When kissing your loved ones, linger a few moments longer. Allow it to register completely.

Daily Inspiration 12-4-14

"The goal of planning: 

Making choices and decisions 

about what you want 

rather than waiting 

to see what's available." 

-- Albert K Strong 

I've always rather known what is coming than to wait and find out. I've used this as a strategy in all my positions of employment. In 1997, after 25 years in the auto business and the last 8 of it in commercial trucks where I also used this strategy, I went to work for a major west coast truck body manufacturer. I started at the end of July 1997 and created my own position with the approval of the owner.

In the first seven months of that year, they had sold $188k worth of truck bodies in Northern California. In the five remaining months of the year, I sold $1.4 million. How could that be? I had a strategy.

Before, they would just show up once every six months and see if you wanted anything. I used to be a customer of theirs, so I know how it was done. I went to dealers and took my own strategy of planning for what I wanted rather than waiting to see what's left and created a whole new market of pre-orders, which I then managed for them and created reports so they knew on a weekly basis what was where in the pipeline. They always had the opportunity prior to release into the production of making changes or rearranging priorities. It was a strategy that paid off handsomely to Harbor and equally to the dealers.

Just to show the potential of that, in the first 5 months, I took one order from one dealer for 110 units which was never even thought possible. I took a whole year's worth of orders in one day at a lunch meeting. This is not a brag, but an example of how this planning strategy can work.

In my current business, we started out selling websites and we had other things like a newsletter, etc. that rarely sold. It was hand to mouth living. I hated it. Then, I had a planning moment. What did I want? Constant cash flow. How could I achieve that? By changing my business to a monthly service with long-term increasing value. It was like turning on the floodlights in a small dark room.

Many wise teachers say that we create our own reality two ways. One is by default and the other by choice. Much of the world creates by default. I still see dealers doing this by seeing what is available rather than making choices through planning. Both are a reality. The only question is which works for you? I know which works for me.

I would rather take my time and plan what I want than to rush and take what is currently available. There is a far more pleasing outcome.


"Spontaneity Is One Of The Joys Of Existence, Especially If You Prepare For It In Advance." -- Alan Dean Foster 

Spread Some Joy Today--by making some choices and decisions.

Daily Inspiration 12-3-14

"The ego wants to want 

more than it wants to have." 

-- Eckhart Tolle 

As I look around my house, I see things that I think I wanted, and actually not so much, when the reality of it came into being. This is the traditional gift-giving season and many of those things I thought or stated that I wanted ended up in gifts to me, and there they sit. Maybe I used it once, and even in a few things, not at all. How strange is that? I'm thinking it seems odd.

I've always loved watching others with radio-controlled aircraft and helicopters and such. My late wife knew that and bought me an electric radio controlled helicopter. It went up in the air once, came down and went in a box, and there it is on my shelf. The battery might even be corroded by now a few years later. I haven't looked. It seems silly that it sits there. I need to just give it away, along with a lot of other unused, not really appreciated things.

I suppose whether I bought it thinking I wanted it (which happens often enough), or whether someone gave it as a gift because they thought I wanted it or might like it, doesn't really matter. The result is the same.

I wonder also if it is true that this applies as much to giving gifts to others as it does when people give me gifts. When I'm thinking of giving something to someone, I'm imagining that they will like it and use it. The best case scenario would be that they loved it and it changed their life, and I'm sure that it runs the gamut of emotional responses.

So what to do? I think it is just to give from the heart and forget entirely about how it will be received. If we are aligned within ourselves and have the delightful urge to share and give to another, that in and of itself is love and is perfect. We can never accurately predict how something will be received. That is not our job. Our job is ourselves and only that can we control.

What about the other end? Receiving. I think the best we can do is delight in the thought behind the gift whatever the gift may be. It matters not whether they got us something that we wanted or didn't care about. It only matters that they had the heart and desire to give something. It isn't even about turnabout is fair play and giving gifts back. It is important to become an accepting receiver, even a joyful receiver. It isn't about us in this instance, it is about them, and if we focus on what they were trying to do, that is all that matters.

As for those things that my ego thought I wanted and the other things I didn't have a clue about, yet go unused or less than cared for, they need to go away now. I am going to pack them up and let them find a new and more welcoming home.


Give From Your Heart And Your Own Alignment With Yourself, And Receive In Appreciation The Same Way. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply and exquisitely enjoying yourself.

Daily Inspiration 12-2-14

"Deficiency motivation doesn't work. 

It will lead to a life-long pursuit

of try to fix me. 

Learn to appreciate what you have 

and where and who you are." 

-- Wayne Dyer 

Often my learning is bits and pieces, answering part and yet still lacking the fullness of the "ah-ha" kind of understanding that comes when all of a sudden those pieces come together and form a new perspective. I had one of those today, early this morning when I first looked in the mirror in the bathroom.

For a couple of years now, I have been looking in that mirror and finding affirmations of praise on what I see. Louise Hay of Hay House taught that and it helps, though it isn't a quick fix, but a travel in the right direction.

The trouble is that it isn't or wasn't real enough. Instead, after my affirmation in the mirror, I would go back to thinking of how much weight I've gained in the last couple of years (or is it 3 or 4 years, I forget), and then thinking I need to do something like watch calories (which I do as they go down my throat), go on a diet (not another one), actually get on my exercise equipment rather than hang shirts on it, actually use my gym membership, and well, you know, maybe you can relate, or not.

And, if it isn't weight management, maybe it is finances, getting along with co-workers, getting a better job, or any number of a hundred things that we might beat ourselves up about on an hourly basis over long periods of time. How's that working for you? I know how it works for me, it just makes it harder and more of a problem. I try to meditate and let go of the resistance of it, and then I get it back. It's much like an addiction.

The "ah-ha" experience this morning gave me a whole new perspective, and it is so closely tied to this quote above by Wayne Dyer because I've been and many others I know have been using deficiency motivation, or trying to, on ourselves. It doesn't work, and if there is any progress from it, more than likely everything goes back to the way it was before all too quickly.

Here was the new realization I had: I'm perfect at this moment. There is nothing wrong with me at this moment. I accept myself as I am in this moment. I accept that I have created myself the way I am in this moment. And, it is good. I am perfect just the way I am, with what I have, with where I am and who I am in this moment.

Eckhart Tolle says it this way: "The moment that judgment stops through acceptance of what it is, you are free of the mind. You have made room for love, for joy, for peace." That is how I felt this morning and it is a very different thought than I have had about myself, ever.

To think that we have to be unhappy with ourselves in order to change has been a bad message. We don't. What works better than deficiency motivation is love. We can be perfect in this moment and in the next moment make a change if desired. Accepting ourselves and circumstances, or our environment is the best place to start. By acceptance, the judgment is gone. This does not stop us from exercising a choice at any time. It's a higher jumping off point than being beat down and trying to rise.

I accept the perfection of this moment and of me and all that this entails at this moment. I accept that I have chosen whether by default or on purpose. I am here this moment because I have chosen it. I am responsible and I delight in that perfection at this moment. Whatever comes in the next moments will come in its time. Right now, right here, I am well, and I feel good.


"Everything Is Perfect In The Universe--Even Your Desire To Improve It." -- Wayne Dyer 

Spread Some Joy Today--Delight in your own perfection. Accept where you are and who you are right now. As Eckhart Tolle said, in so doing, "you have made room for love, for joy, for peace."

Daily Inspiration 12-1-14

"Don't fake it 'til you make it. 

Fake it 'til you become it." 

-- Amy Cuddy 

About two years ago, Amy Cuddy did a wonderful TED talk on the subject of Empowerment Through Body Language. The original talk was 21 minutes long and certainly worth watching; however, I found a shorter version that is only 6 minutes covering the essence of the talk.

I am a huge fan of the concept of acting as if. Act as if I am in that position, etc. It is a legitimate path to success, and often a shorter one to boot. I have faked things so many times and firmly believe her quote about faking it until I become it.

The more interesting aspect of the video is the power stance theory. Well, it's not a theory anymore. She has proven that it is real and it is effective. Tony Robbins has been teaching a version of this for a very long time. I hope you enjoy the video and the excellent message it contains.




Amy Cuddy Short TED Video - Empowering through Body Language  Top Tips on Essential Assertiveness 

Here's a link to the original 21-minute talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

It's More Than Attitude, But There Certainly Is Some Of That. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by leaving your insensitivity at home. Don't worry. Be happy.

Daily Inspiration 11-30-14

"To praise the sun 

is to praise your own eyes." 

-- Rumi 

Yesterday morning as I was stirring to wakefulness, I repeated several times a couple of phrases that I learned from Abraham and Esther Hicks. The first is, "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." The second, and more important of the two is, "nothing is more important than that I feel good." And, I shouldn't be surprised, but I found such good feelings and pure enjoyment throughout the day. The power of intention at play.

I was in a state of appreciation so much through the day, and I'll share one section with you. In recent years I find that I don't listen to music but rarely. I have thousands of songs in my library and then I discovered Spotify.com where I can pretty much find anything I want and even create playlists. In the last few months, I find myself listening more, but with much larger ears.

One of the things I love about Spotify is that it is like Netflix in that it suggests things I might like, and much of the time, I do. I adore Tommy Emmanuel as the peak of acoustic guitarists, and Spotify recommended a few like him. I found Martin Tallstrom there and what a find he was. He's a Swedish guitarist and I so relish an album he did in 2009 called Acoustics.

I listened to the album again and I found myself with eyes closed floating around in clouds and blue sky moving in rhythm and joy to each and every single note. Appreciation is an interesting thing in that it has no end that I have found. I was, and still am in fact, so deeply appreciating many things.

I was appreciating Martin's talent and dedication to improving his skill to form the presentation that I was hearing. I was appreciating the guitar maker who crafted a fine instrument for him to play. I was appreciating the guitar amplifier that adds such a depth to the sound. I was appreciating the recording; the recording studio that someone created; the skilled recording engineer; the record company; the stereo amplifier and the speakers that allowed me to listen to this. I was appreciating that Martin put himself out there and was willing, and perhaps even eager to share his blessings with me. The list goes on and on and on.

I play guitar so I can perhaps more fully appreciate what it takes to be as good as he is and the nuances that make the sound so perfect. I used to own a recording studio and have thousands of hours of recording time so I can appreciate the skill and knowledge it takes to record music so well. I own a business so I can appreciate what it takes to create that studio, market that music and more. Maybe now in looking back, this is why I learned what I did just so I could appreciate in a better way and to listen with larger ears. Or, maybe that didn't matter at all. It could just be that I was intent on feeling good and finding things that I wanted.

Abraham and Esther Hicks state that if you focus on something in appreciation (or in any other way too) for as little as 17 seconds, another thought joins it and then another and another and so on, drawing more to you that you are focused on. Yesterday I was focused on feeling good, I found things that I wanted, I began appreciating one aspect, then in my joy, I found another, then another and another until I was appreciating hundreds of things that surrounded this one piece of music I was listening to.


It Was A Day Of Pure Joy And Love. I Think I Will Go For A Repeat Today. . . 

Spread Some Joy Today--Share your joys and your joys are instantly increased.

Daily Inspiration 11-29-14

THANKSgiving Week Thoughts 

"The thankful receiver 

bears a plentiful harvest."

-- William Blake 

Today is the last day of Thanksgiving week and this last post will be about who gratitude is for. It is not for the benefit of the thing or person that you are thanking. It is for YOU.

You could think of this as being selfish, and if you want to do that, fine. It is true. The real benefit of becoming a grateful person and in finding anything and everything and everyone something to be thankful for is not appreciating of it or them. Of course, that certainly doesn't hurt and it obviously may have a benefit to them; however, it is the act of being thankful and finding the good, or rather, those things that we can be thankful for that really matters. It is being the receiver of the gratitude that we give out.

If you want to get really simple, fine. We FEEL better when we are thankful. We feel wonderful in our appreciation. We rise above in our gratitude. As far as I'm concerned that is not only reason enough to be grateful, but the all-important reason.

This is how we become more grateful as we begin our path of thankfulness. We feel it, and it feels good. We feel right. We feel aligned. We feel one with God. We feel blessed. We feel that our heart is full. It is that feeling that creates the desire for even more thankfulness and gratitude. It is why we do what we do whatever we do. We gain. We grow. We become more. We rise.

What anyone else feels when we are this way is strictly and blessedly, a side benefit.


Go For The Feeling Of Joy And Heartfelt Wonder. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by just being alive and knowing it. How could you not?

Daily Inspiration 11-28-14

THANKSgiving Week Thoughts 

"I'm too grateful to be hateful. 

I am too blessed to be stressed." 

-- El DeBarge 

The quote above is so good because that sequence and outcome is exactly how it works. When one is thankful and lives in gratitude for all that is, hatred is impossible. At the same time, when one is feeling blessed by the gifts that come their way, or just by the sunshine of a new day, there can be no stress.

Real love is full of gratitude. These high emotions are all in a similar plane of vibration: love, appreciation, feeling blessed, peace, gratitude, thankfulness.

When I was young, and then again as a teenager, my parents went through a nasty divorce. I think they were bent on teaching me that love can turn into hate. For a time, I went along with that idea because they were the role models, but as I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that love cannot turn into hate. And as a result of my decision about that and even though I went through a divorce myself, there was nothing but love and appreciation and gratitude and the whole thing went as smoothly as I knew it would.

Stress comes from fear. Hate comes from fear. Distrust comes from fear. And fear comes from the ego. They all feed on each other. These states are debilitating and destructive. It can go from bad to worse to terrible easy enough, and it is all too common in much the world.

Yet, here is an interesting thing--those other attributes like love, appreciation, gratitude, peace, and such also feed on each other. They are empowering and energizing. They go from good to great to spectacular.

And, here's the most interesting thing of all: We are fully in charge of the choices that we make and all those feelings are choices. How cool is that?


Thankfulness Puts One On The Path Of Least Resistance. 

Spread Some Joy Today--If you go shopping today, take some patience and joy along with you. You'll be amazed how valuable they can be. It's better than money.

Daily Inspiration 11-27-14

THANKSgiving Week Thoughts 

"Thanksgiving, after all, 

is a word of action." 

-- W. J. Cameron 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you this day. I stand in gratitude of all that is and hope you find a similar stance in your day.


"Thanksgiving Was Never Meant To Be Shut Up In A Single Day." -- Robert Caspar Lintner 

Spread Some Joy Today--by just being yourself. You are joy!

Daily Inspiration 11-26-14

THANKSgiving Week Thoughts 

"When eating bamboo sprouts, 

remember the man who planted them." 

-- Chinese Proverb 

A lot of people celebrate Thanksgiving and don't know any of the history of it. So, in case you haven't seen it, or forgot about it, here it is from Wikipedia:

"Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has been celebrated as a Federal holiday every year since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. Thanksgiving was also celebrated nationally in 1789, after a proclamation by George Washington. As a federal and public holiday in the U.S., Thanksgiving is one of the major holidays of the year. Together with Christmas and New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. This feast lasted three days, and it was attended by 90 Native Americans (as accounted by attendee Edward Winslow) and 53 Pilgrims. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"-days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought."

Whatever Thanksgiving Day means to you is wonderful. Some just enjoy the feast and getting together with relatives and friends, watching some football, enjoying each others company and the day regardless of the weather. So I hope that you enjoy your day in whatever way you choose.

Several years ago, our Pastor at church told us of the history of Thanksgiving, particularly the Pilgrim's portion. He suggested that the congregation get some dried corn, seeds, popcorn, or you could use small stones, buttons, whatever. Then pass 5 to 7 of these out to each person on Thanksgiving. If it is a large crowd, the smaller number. Then, one by one, each pushes out one of their tokens and states aloud something or someone that they are thankful for and why.

Doing this just before the food is served, just takes a small portion of the day, but it changes the way we think about the day and brings us all to focus on thankfulness. After all, when we call a day a day of thanksgiving, giving thanks would be such an appropriate thing to do. Keep a box of tissues nearby. . .


"Feeling Gratitude And Not Expressing It Is Like Wrapping A Present And Not Giving It." -- William Arthur Ward 

Spread Some Joy Today--by giving thanks.