Daily Inspiration 9-14-17

"Patience is not just

the ability to wait,

it's how we behave

while we are waiting."

-- Joyce Meyer

[New post]

I've often written about what I call "practicing my patience." That means that I get excited when I have an opportunity to practice it because practice helps me to get better and I need the practice.

Buy why? We might often think that having patience means the willingness to be patient. We all have the ability to wait. We don't all exercise our willingness. So, why would we bother with it? Why do it at all?

The best reason why to me, having learned to practice every chance I get, is how each opportunity brings me peace in the face of chaos. It brings me calm as those around me are anxious. It opens my internal storage shed of love, and it causes me to look at this situation with new eyes.

The next best benefit or reason why is what it does to those around me. To see someone who is calm in chaos, peaceful while surrounded by anxiety is inspiring. As I become peaceful and calm, without saying anything at all I give permission to all those around me through my own vibrational stance to do the same. If they choose. I cannot choose for them, but they can be inspired to a new choice as they allow that to be.

So, I love the quote by Joyce Meyer because of the last portion of the sentence: "it's how we behave while we're waiting." That is our example. That is our being. That is our presence.


Peace Is Always Available Within. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding more ways to enjoy your day regardless of circumstances, events, or what others choose for themselves.

Daily Inspiration 9-13-17

"Help me to be less fearful

of the measure of time,

and more fully alive

in the time that simply is.

Help me to live time,

not just to simply use it;

to breathe it in, and return it 

in acts of love and presence."

-- Avis Crowe

[New post]

Aren't reminders a wonderful thing? Day to day stuff with phone calls, text messages, emails, in-person encounters of the strange kind, or the work-related kind can be like a cloud that temporarily covers the real reality that life is good and that even the things we think are not good, somehow work for the good in the strangest ways.

The further away from the minutia of things going on in our lives we can get, the clearer it is how everything is always working perfectly all the time, and that there is no judgment in that place, there is only our presence; being.


Take A Moment. Close Your Eyes. Think Of Nothing Except Peace. Even 5 To 10 Seconds Will Refresh You. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by coming into presence as often as you can. As you are there, you give others permission to do the same.

Daily Inspiration 9-12-17

"The simplest antidote

to a tough day

is generosity."

-- Seth Godin

[New post]

I love this line from Seth Godin. Of course, it is true. When we make a decision to give, we focus on giving and another receiving rather than our own considerations being paramount. Generosity means that we have a sufficient amount in order to give some away.

We could give away negativity, anger, resentment, but that is really still focusing on our bad day, on ourselves, our perceived problems, our worms. That would never last, nor could it be called generosity because everyone has plenty of their own. Why would they want yours?

What everyone always wants more of is love, respect, kindness, thoughtfulness, consideration, encouragement, and more. They never can get their fill of these blessed thoughts and consequential feelings. In fact, so many go through their days in search of these things and these attributes are why they do what they do, think what they think. And just like our own so-called bad day, we are searching along with them.

Within us at all times is a generous Spirit lifting us to a higher vibration where love is all there is. We have so much going on sometimes that we forget. It is in the slightest opening of the remembrance of this inner Spirit that we can let some of our generosity flow to another. Whether to one or to a thousand, it is the same. It is always, always, always received with joy no matter the initial reaction to our offering.

Our generous Spirit encourages their own generous Spirit which encourages another and another and so on.

If you did nothing else that mattered today, allowing your generous Spirit to flow out of you is all that is needed and wanted in the world.


This Is Love, Love, Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--as your remember that the generous Spirit that is always within you is loving you first and foremost, and it never, ever, stops flowing.

Daily Inspiration 9-11-17

"Some days

the silliness never ends."

-- Albert K. Strong

The Spruce Goose

[New post]

There was a time, not so long ago that I cannot remember it when I would catch my pants or shirt on something and cuss like a drunken sailor chastising the perpetrator and creating negative energy all around me. This would be especially troublesome if my clothing actually got damaged!

Now, after many, many years of spiritual awakening and study, I just laugh out loud. Then, I laugh again because it is so silly. These encounters no longer have me spewing negative vibes. No. Now I spew laughter and amazement at how these things keep happening. I'm sure that they happen to me only to bring me laughter. When my laugh-o-meter is low, the Universe seems to know it intuitively and guides me so close to the desk knobs shown above. . . and well, an encounter of the third kind.

The top picture shows how an encounter happens. Go figure that. It was a challenge to get close enough to show the potential encounter in the image, let alone have it happen without my direct permission. I'm always wearing my "uniform" as my business partner calls it. My Tommy Bahama expando waist cargo shorts that don't care if I'm having a fat day or not, and my vast selection of Tommy Bahama casual shirts. Oh, and generally in flip-flops, but sometimes tennis shoes. Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, that's my uniform.

But the shorts are problematic in any kind of proximity to The Spruce Goose. I call this desk that because it reminds me of that huge plywood amphibious airplane that Howard Hughes built. It too is made of plywood. It weighs a lot I can tell you. I've had it for so long that it is scary, yet I've never really liked it much. It is just there. It's always been there. I cannot even remember where it came from. More silliness.

So, I think that once I decided to stop getting upset by these kinds of encounters that the Universe has found a way to keep them coming but enjoying my new attitude so much that I am reminded often.


You Gotta Love The Universe. So Playful. So Wise. So Helpful. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because some days everything is just silliness.

Daily Inspiration 9-10-17

"Strangely enough, they have a mind to till the soil,

and the love of possessions is a disease in them."

-- Sitting Bull

"In our rich consumers' civilization, we spin cocoons

around ourselves and get possessed by our possessions."

-- Max Lerner

[Classic post from 9-30-11]

I used to laugh at my mother for saving everything and never throwing anything away. She grew up in the depression in the 1930s and translated that lack into thinking possessions was part of her value. I used to laugh because of the things she saved from when I was a child. It wasn't memorabilia, although she had plenty of that, but an old outdated end table all alone from a set, or a really cheap huge picture that used to hang over our couch in the 1950s.

I inherited more of that than I care to have and lately, I've been seriously working on unloading. The sheer volume of things that I own is huge. I've got sales records from when I was a new salesman in 1973. Can't imagine the value of keeping those anymore. Then, I have drawers full of stuff that hasn't even seen daylight in so many years.

I remember watching one of those shows on TV where the Australian guy was convincing people to let go of things. He might say, 'if you haven't touched it in over a year, it probably needs to go.' Heck, I've got lots of things that I haven't touched in ten years! So, why do I have them? You know, I've forgotten. It seemed important at the time as if someone might want to see that, or I might want to show it, or use it to justify something, boost an ego--who knows?

I've got cables in drawers all over the place. RCA cables for connecting stereos, printer cables that are from the turn of the century, power cables, transformers, and even some cables that I haven't got a clue about, but felt they should be saved for some reason. It's kind of crazy.

There are some things that have sentimental value in earnest. The rest of it needs to go away. So, yesterday, I began the process of unloading my life of excess baggage. I mean, how important could it possibly be if I haven't even touched it or looked at it in over ten years? Or even one year? It seems that quote from yesterday's Daily Inspiration about the last suit you wear doesn't need pockets, struck a chord.

I'm practicing the art of letting go and in the process, I am feeling so much lighter and yet I've only just begun. Onward to a more reasonable number of things. . .


Let's See. . . If A Huge Fire Was Coming Over The Hill And I Had Exactly 15 Minutes And One Pickup Truck, What Would I Save?

Spread Some Joy Today--Be yourself. You are perfect the way you are! Let it be.

Daily Inspiration 9-9-17

"Life will give you whatever experience

is most helpful for the evolution

of your consciousness.

How do you know this is the experience

you need? Because this is the experience

you are having at this moment."

-- Eckhart Tolle

[Classic post from 1-11-13]

All I can think of to share tonight is a bit about my emotional rollercoaster of a day today. I promise to be brief.

It began early this morning responding to a friend's email and giving love and encouragement, and I shared this quote above with him as well. That was a great start. Then I got some computer work done for a few hours

Just after noon, I was in a meeting briefly that was not my idea of a good time, and since it was not set up by me, I just went with it. It gave me concern and I didn't feel good, but in my typical trooper-life fashion, I decided to do my best to let it go and move my emotions step by step to a higher place where I could just let go of it completely.

That wasn't working so well, but I wasn't giving up.

Then another afternoon meeting that was good and I was quiet through most of it with my partner doing the talking. He's good at that. But, it appeared to be coming to an end without covering what I thought was the most important issue, so I chimed in. I was probably a bit intense. (My passion for what I do mostly). But, I knew that early part of the day was working on me.

Then evening came. I decided to share my thoughts about how I felt earlier and that went well, though it was emotional too. Then, from out of the blue I got some most encouraging words from someone who has not been supportive for a long time. I almost cried. It was so special and was exactly what I needed. It was a very simple phrase: "We'll get through this. . ."


Wow. Another Great Day In Paradise . . .

Spread Some Joy Today--"Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, trust me, it's not the end." -- From the film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Daily Inspiration 9-8-17

"You don't have to be a person of influence to be influential.

In fact, the most influential people in my life are

probably not even aware of the things they've taught me."

-- Scott Adams

[Classic post from 6-28-10]

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. . . or is it, when the teacher is ready, the student appears? I think it is both. There is a time to learn and a time to teach and although we think about those things as opposites like giving and receiving, I think they are really all the same thing. I think that mostly because I know that when I am teaching (as I am doing now, I suppose), I am learning at the same exact time, for it is in the act of teaching that I learn what I know and learn how to express and indeed, receive learning.

I think other people influence us when we are ready to be influenced. I know that is true because two or ten or a thousand people who might be listening or watching the same thing will see and hear it very differently. Many may be influenced, while others are not moved at all.

This shows how much of a participatory world we live in.

So how do you influence others? You do. Much of the time. You can't help it. They can't help but receive it when they are ready for it either. I think that the best we can do is to be the best we can be--to be the most you that you can be--and to be the truest to yourself you can be. That is a powerful influence for you and the rest of the ready-to-be-influenced planet.


I Am Ready To Be Influenced. Teach Away!

Spread Some Joy Today--Being a teacher without at the same time being a student is like being a friend without being friendly. Just be yourself today. Rejoice in your own, special and awesome uniqueness! YOU ROCK! The world rocks with you!

Daily Inspiration 9-7-17

"A strong man cannot help a weaker

unless that weaker is willing to be helped. 

And even then the weak man

must become strong of himself. 

He must, by his own efforts, 

develop the strength which he admires in another. 

None but himself can alter his condition."

- James Allen, 

As A Man Thinketh

[Classic post from 9-30-09]

I love this paragraph. It demonstrates clearly what must happen to change. Willingness. There are many who do not have it and don't want to be a part of it because they think it may show weakness. This quote from James Allen indicates to me that being weak with willingness is really strength needing a touch of guidance--that willingness is a strength.

It is that strength that the last line finds its truth: "None but himself can alter his condition." From that realization, we need only a willingness and at long last a decision. It is this catalyst that focuses the strength into power.

How many times I have tried to help someone who did not want help. I found that frustrating and abnormal. Many times I would find myself in the situation of wanting help from someone else and many times I would not be willing to accept help, let alone seek it.

There is a very popular Bible verse, "Ask and ye shall receive." It doesn't say wonder and receive, or trust and receive, desire and receive, or even expect and receive. The word 'Ask' is a sincere willingness and it demonstrates strength and determination.

Next time you need help with an issue or situation, receive your strength from asking for help. It is the best way to receive! "None but himself can alter his condition."


Have An Awesome Day!

Spread some joy today--Smile!

Daily Inspiration 9-6-17

"If you are losing your peace

in your quest for peace, 

you are not on the road to peace. 

The road to peace is peace." 

 -- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 4-30-14]

When I saw this quote, I was amazed. Such simplicity, yet so profound. It makes perfect sense and though I have felt that I know this and have known it, it still felt like a new bit of wisdom. Consider removing the word peace and making it a blank underline that we can write something else in. How about these?

If you are losing well being in your quest for well being, you are not on the road to well being. The road to well being is well being.

If you are losing patience in your quest for patience, you are not on the road to patience. The road to patience is patience.

If you are losing love in your quest for love, you are not on the road to love. The road to love is love.

If you are losing compassion in your quest for compassion, you are not on the road to compassion. The road to compassion is compassion.

If you are losing _____________ in your quest for ______________, you are not on the road to ___________. The road to ____________ is ____________.


Matching Our Attitude With Our Desires Is Worthy Of Awareness And Alignment. 

Spread Some Joy Today--The road to joy is JOY!

Daily Inspiration 9-5-17

"Congratulations! 
You're not perfect."

-- Stephen Manes

[Classic post from 6-18-12]

"Congratulations! You're not perfect! It's ridiculous to want to be perfect anyway. But then, everybody's ridiculous sometimes, except for perfect people.

You know what perfect is? Perfect is not eating or drinking or talking or moving a muscle or making even the teeniest mistake.

Perfect is never doing anything wrong--which means never doing anything at all. Perfect is boring! So you're not perfect! Wonderful!! Have fun!

Eat things that give you bad breath! Trip over your own shoelaces! Laugh! Let somebody els laugh at you!

Perfect people never do any of those things. All they do is sit around and sip weak tea and think about how perfect they are. But they're really not on-hundred-percent perfect anyway. You should see them when they get the hiccups! Phooey! Who needs 'em?

You can drink pickle juice and imitate gorillas and do silly dances and sing stupid songs and wear funny hats and be as imperfect as you please and still be a good person.

Good people are hard to find nowadays. And they're a lot more fun than perfect people any day of the week." -- Stephen Manes, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!


"Striving To Be Better, Oft We Mar What's Well" -- William Shakespeare

Spread Some Joy Today--Delight in all your imperfections!

Daily Inspiration 9-4-17

"Shortly after I met my mentor he asked me,

"Mr. Rohn, how much money have you saved

and invested over the last six years?"

And I said, "None." He then asked,

"Who sold you on that plan?."

-- Jim Rohn

[Classic post from 5-10-12]

I rarely talk about money because I've been such a bad example of its proper uses. The other day I was talking about knowing what to do and not doing it, and that is how I dealt with money most all my life. I know that I have lots of company in that, but it doesn't make it feel better. Heck, even our government is a bad example.

Jim Rohn is a great mentor in money and psychology. He simplifies it to the extreme as in this very short few sentences: "The philosophy of the rich versus the poor is this: The rich invest their money and spend what is left; the poor spend their money and invest what is left." There you have it.

Also, in that statement, rich and poor have little to do with dollars and everything to do with philosophy or attitude. There are many people that are poor that earn tens of thousands of dollars a month, and more.

Here is a telling one from Jim: "I remember saying to my mentor, "If I had more money, I would have a better plan." He quickly responded, "I would suggest that if you had a better plan, you would have more money." You see, it's not the amount that counts; it's the plan that counts."

About six years ago, I was doing some training at a dealership and we were listening to a Brian Tracy set of CD's. One thing that was said that really struck home with me. He said, "you can't be great if you don't learn how to save money." Of course, those of us who were great consumers and users couldn't be bothered with that until we had a better plan which never seemed to arrive.

To make all of that so much worse, it was the borrowing for that huge home we didn't really need but was convinced was an investment, along with the credit cards, numbers of them to get those things we needed when we didn't have any money left. The easy payments began to grow into uneasy payments and then we were serving our lifestyle instead of enjoying our lives.

I know it all too well. For a long time, I was ashamed about it inside, but I've let all that go. I'm just bent on making better decisions. The other thing is about the idea of living within our means. We need to live below our means if we want to save and invest.

I've learned that someone who has learned to save and invest can have the same downfalls and lose everything just like the rest of us can. The difference is that they come right back up because they have the philosophy down and where ever they start, they start with the better philosophy. Jim made it easy and we all know the philosophy and we know it is better as well. All we have to do now is live it.


Happiness Is NOT More Money. It Is More Freedom.

Spread Some Joy Today--Consider a better plan to take the burden off the issue of money. Seek the joy of freedom in using it instead of it using you.

Daily Inspiration 9-3-17

"In ordinary life 

we hardly realize 

that we receive a great deal more 

than we give, 

and that it is only with gratitude 

that life becomes rich." 

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

[Classic post from 5-26-16]

I awoke this morning somewhere around 5:30 am. The clock couldn't tell me what the time was because it was dark. I got up. It very quickly became clear that the power was off. The sun was just coming up and it was light outside, so I wandered around, then to my office area.

It's always kind of exciting when something like this happens because it is a dramatic change from the norm. So, first thing, I decided to meditate for a bit. Then I thought about a cup of coffee, but that takes power, as does my normal breakfast. I thought about what I might do in the meantime. I'm sure the power will be on soon enough.

I got my iPhone and went to the PG&E website (our electrical and gas company), and saw that there was an outage in about a 2-mile circle around my house. They said it began and 5:14 am and had an unknown cause, that they were in transit to the site of the outage and estimated that it would be fixed by 9 am. Hmmm, I thought. . . four hours without power, how fun!

I pulled out my Kindle Fire to download a book I purchased yesterday, but it requires a Wi-Fi connection, as does my iPad when I tried to check the weather. I laughed. So I pulled out some papers of a project I'm currently working on. With windows and blinds open, there is plenty of light, so I turned the page to begin, and the power came on. It was 6:37 am. I thought, dang! Those PG&E people are quick! Back to my normal world of power and powered devices.

I thought how many people would be so upset by this, calling to complain, bashing PG&E for being too slow, not anticipating the outage, and a long list of blame. I thought how even when it came back on so quickly, they might find fault in how long it took, how they were inconvenienced. Complain, complain, complain.

Have you ever met anyone like that? Do you know someone like that? All they seem to do is to find fault, and it is 100% always outside of themselves. It's always someone or some company or some other entity that is doing it to them. The smallest inconvenience is painful to them. They are lost outside of their norm.

Here I am celebrating this new opportunity, being amazed at how dependent I've become on electricity and powered devices, Internet connectivity, and more. I thought how unprepared I am to live this way without power, and yet there isn't much point of preparing for it because it is such a rare occurrence. I do have a Coleman camp stove that I haven't touched since I bought it twenty years ago or so. But those dang PG&E people are just too darn quick. I didn't even get a chance to begin to adapt to my new environment.

The lesson for me in this trivial incident follows the quote above by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in that I hardly realize that I receive a great deal more than I give. I give PG&E a little bit of money each month, and I get 30 days of power and gas. I get hot water as much as I want. I get to use my electric stove, my microwave oven, my regular oven, my Keurig coffee maker, and what would I do without my refrigerator? I get to type this into my computer, connected to the Internet (by a different provider, but still requires electricity), touching the entire world in some tiny way. I get to watch movies which I love to do. I get to have light when it is dark outside. I get to wash and dry my clothes, and so much more.

I get so much more than I give. I praise PG&E and the grid and their business in bringing me these powerful tools for a better life. I praise all of the manufacturers and providers of the things I use and the required services to use them. I pay such a dinky amount of money for these massively valuable services.


This Morning Was Another Unexpected Opportunity To See All The Value I Receive For Such A Paltry Remittance. How Blessed I Am In This Uneven Exchange. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by finding your gratitude renewed.

Daily Inspiration 9-2-17

"Gratitude bestows reverence,

allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies,

those transcendent moments of awe

that change forever

how we experience life. . . and the world."

-- Sarah Ban Breathnach

[New post]

Whether you believe that humans have been around for a few thousand years, tens of thousands, or millions of years, any of those choices are old. As of 2014 in the United States, life expectancy in round numbers was 76 for the male and 81 for the female. That's a lot of lifetimes to consider in the time of human recognition on the planet. Which makes the discovery and learning to make use of electricity such an amazing thing in time.

We take it for granted generally in our world today. It has been around all of our lives, and probably the only time we even think about it is when the power goes off for whatever reason. And, we all know that it does from time to time, although we all know it is rare.

There are huge gaps of time from the discovery of the idea of electricity, to the making use of electricity to create electric motors for industry, lighting for industry, cities, and homes, to the products like vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, hair dryers, and the plethora of products that help us make use of the idea of electricity.

What's even more amazing is how little that time frame is as compared to human time. For all intent and purposes, the electricity that we know today and use every day came about only about 1.3 lifetimes ago or about 100 years.

Sure, the invention of the electric light was earlier, yet once invented, then it needed to be systematized to the point that it became available to use by the public, or rather a large portion of the public, as in power generation, distribution, the invention of products that use electricity and so much more.

Even with this, there were so many rural locations who didn't have power in the 1950s and 60's. Not very long ago at all. That had more to do with distribution it would seem; however, the real reason was a closed mind on behalf of the power generation controllers. They didn't think it was profitable. Once they were convinced it was and changed their mindset, more rural locations got their much-wanted power too.

So today is a wonderful day to celebrate electricity. By the way, it is good to remember that electricity has been around since the dawn of time, let alone the dawn of human existence. It was only waiting around patiently for humans to 'discover' it and make use of it.

Consider how many ways you use electricity and how your life would change in a major way if it were missing. Celebrate not only the 'invention' of electricity, electric tools, motors, and appliances, but take a moment to be grateful for those who made it work for us by making it so available to all the people who invented, marketed, and distributed the many products we have all around us in our lives today.


Celebrate All That We Take For Granted So That We Won't Take It For Granted Any Longer. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by feeling the joy that comes from opening your worldview to be inclusive instead of exclusive.

Daily Inspiration 9-1-17

"What would religion do

without the devil?"

-- Alan Cohen

[New post]

Indeed. What would the protagonist do without the antagonist? As I consider all the ways I can think of in how struggle, roadblocks, external authorities, and our own internal games play in the mixture of living life, I see nothing but the same. Well, perhaps, the same with a different name and face and time. But, same modus operandi nonetheless.

Yet, we all have the power to change this. We have always had the power; however, we have not often used it. The reason we have not is that we see the big bad wolf and we are scared. Our fear rules.

The more I grow in my studies, the clearer all of life becomes. The fact that we are dealing with the same scenarios and situations that plagued humanity thousands of years ago is an amazing thing to me. Why has it not changed? I know the answer: WE haven't changed. And, since we are the perceivers of our world, if we don't change, our world doesn't change either.

I have so loved this quote from Jim Rohn: "For things to change, you have to change." But, this is not clear enough. It is still focused on the outside. A far better way to state this truth is this way: "For things to change, I need to change." Yet, this is an edict. We have the power of choice. So, the best way to say it might be this: "If I want things outside of me to change, inside of me to change, I have the power to change what I think, what decisions I make, and how I act, react, or choose not to act."

As one changes, that one gives permission to all others to change as well. Lao Tzu stated that "the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step," and so it is with one person's change. The journey to change your own environment, the collective environment begins with ourselves in whatever capacity or situation we may find ourselves in.


No Longer Waiting On The World To Change! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by creating the world of your dreams.