Daily Inspiration 1-14-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"I always thought that life 

was mostly about gathering, 

learning to handle things, 

but I have learned instead, 

the value of letting go." 

-- Terry Minion 

[Classic post from 9-12-16]

I've bought several books and CD's of late on the subject of meditation. When I read that this person has meditated at a minimum of 15 minutes every single morning for the last 25 years, I think to myself, "you've gotta be fricken kidding me! Are you serious?"

I heard the late Wayne Dyer say that he ran a minimum of 10 miles a day for something like 15 years. I think to myself, "Are you serious? Every single day for all that time? You're killing me with that. I find it hard to believe. You can't really be serious about that."

In 2007, Dr. John Demartini, in his book, The Gratitude Effect, wrote, "For thirty-four years, I've kept a daily record of what I have been grateful for. I haven't missed a day." And, I'm thinking, "you gotta be pulling my leg. 34 years not missing a day? OMG!" He also says that he had read something like 50,000 books by learning to speed read. And, I'm thinking that even if it were half of that number, it would be a crazy accomplishment.

I guess that some people are so focused and committed to something that they can do these things. I only sit in amazement, and though I meditate once in a while, read a lot more than many, and have never even actually ran more than one mile, and that only at the insistence of the drill instructor in basic training, I can't even imagine doing these things like those I've just mentioned. Who are these people? They must be extra special people, super-humans, mental giants.

These kinds of things--and this is a very short list--make me feel like a loser, a miscreant, a slacker, a failure, a neer-do-well. Or rather, it used to. I was always comparing myself and my performance with others and that never seemed to help move me forward. I just couldn't keep up. I wasn't that good a guitar player, wasn't focused on school very much, and there was such a long list of my mistakes, poor decisions, and such to contend with. Maybe I'll eat some worms. . .

Yet, I found hope. Consider this bit from Abraham, Esther Hicks: "There are other ways of raising your vibrations than meditation, such as listening to music that makes your heart sing, jogging in a beautiful place, petting your cat (cat? no way!), walking your dog (much better!), and so on. Often you are in your highest state of connection to Source Energy while you are driving your vehicle."

They continue, and here's the lesson for today: "Your goal is to release any thought that causes resistance so that you are then in a place of pure, positive thought. Just find any thought that feels good when you think it, and practice it until you begin to set that tone within you--and then, other good-feeling thoughts will follow." 

I underlined the most important part to me. I like to visualize releasing resistance, so I like to call it, letting go of the rope. I have even come to actually visualize feeling that rope and my resistance on the pull of whomever, or whatever is on the opposite side of that rope. As I resist, I have a tug-o-war game going on. Letting go and laying down the rope releases every bit of resistance in that moment, and as long as I don't pick it up again, I'm good.

But, of course, I can't help myself sometimes. I pick it up on this subject, and that subject, and this issue, and that issue, and what this person did or said, and that one, and more. At least I used to do that a lot. Now, I have practiced this and understand it well enough that I pick it up less, and lay it down quicker.

I can feel the tension of the resistance in my body--in my stomach muscles, my jaw, and more. It is a mental thing that is causing physical symptoms. It's psychosomatic. At the same time, I can sense the relief when I let go, how my body relaxes. It's psychosomatic. Which do I prefer is a good question. I prefer relief. Absolutely. I prefer relief. I prefer to feel good, relaxed, at peace, in love, in joy, in appreciation, in knowing.

Comparing myself with another, especially if they are really good at something is not very productive in my life. However, as I realize that I don't need to emulate them, I can appreciate them. I appreciate Wayne Dyer and his commitment and the legacy he has left. I appreciate Dr. John Demartini and his many books that I have read, and the valuable information he shares openly from his learned wisdom and experience. I appreciate people who are committed to meditation and who teach it, and especially Davidji, who makes it so simple and easy.

I love to watch and listen to good guitar players. Even though I might be at the Kindergarten level compared with Eric Clapton, or my friend, Phil Greene, I can very much appreciate the skill they have developed, and the commitments that they have made to the art of music.

I don't have to do as someone else has done. Feeling less than them is purely my ego, as would feeling more than them; however, I can love them, appreciate them, be enamored with their presence and feel wonderful about myself at the same time. I appreciate all of my teachers, and the many people around me with skills that I do not, and may never desire or attempt to possess.


Letting Go. Letting God. Loving Those Around Me, While Loving Myself As I Am. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving yourself as you are. There is your own joy.

Daily Inspiration 1-13-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"You only hear 

what you are ready to hear." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 9-11-16]

Some people do not understand the power of words. They seem to think and have tried thousands of times to kill the messenger thinking that this will kill the message. But, it never has, nor will it ever. The word is infinitely more powerful than any messenger who may bring it. Victor Hugo said it well when he said, "Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come."

The audiobook, The Secret, which was the catalyst that immediately changed my life in a major way, was all about the message that was as old as the words that made it, and was throughout history hidden from the many, supposedly in fear, that if they understood it, those in power would lose that power and privilege. Fear is an all-consuming thing.

But, here is the message that matters, as Jesus said in Mark 4:9: "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." It's really not the messenger, and it really isn't even so much the message. It is the asking. As in another very popular Bible verse from Matthew 7: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." 

There's another colloquial expression that works here too: "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Again, it is not the message or the messenger, it is the asking. It is the ears that are ready to hear.

I know several people, and I have always known several people that I would love to see be happier, more loving, enjoying life more, to let go of the rope more often, and so on. I used to try and try and try to move them toward those positive ideals, and they tenaciously held on to the rope of their choices. My grand lesson is tied to this trying in that I cannot change another no matter what message I speak, no matter how skilled and practiced I may be as a messenger. All I can do is to be who I am, to share the message peacefully that I have been inspired to share, and the rest is not up to me. It is the asking. It is the readiness to receive. It is the desire to know. And, none of those things are in my slightest control.

It took me some time and awareness in my own study to realize this valuable lesson. And, I didn't just learn it about me sharing with others and they're being ready to hear or not, but also for myself and that there is always more to know and whether I will know it has to do with my own readiness, willingness, asking in order to receive.

As I look briefly in the rearview mirror, I can see how many messages were there for me, but I was closed to them. I was not yet asking. I might have been asking for other things, ready for other things, but not yet this message. Yet, this is not something to be even the slightest bit upset about because all of our lives are a journey, and we all learn as we go, ask as we are ready, and receive when we are willing to allow. I have come to believe that it is all perfect and in perfect timing. The best I can do is to be open to continued learning as much as I can, in as much as I am currently asking.

I laugh about it today, but in mid-2007, when I first became aware of the Teachings of Abraham, and Esther and Jerry Hicks, I was afraid. The message scared me from teachings that I had learned in the past. As I allowed myself to be open to the message without killing the messenger, I found myself with ears to hear. I had been asking already, and it came in the perfect time for me, which has set me on a certain path ever since that first hearing. I am so thankful for the message because it has brought me joy, peace, love, happiness, calmness, appreciation, and much more. I asked, and I received. I listened, and I heard. I knocked, and it was opened to me. And, as powerful as their message has been for me and a few million others, it is not the message, but my asking, my willingness, and my allowing.


When The Teacher Is Ready, The Students Will Appear. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving yourself today. Forget about all the cares and woes and the things to do list. Chill. Take a break. Let the love of your Spirit flow over you and cleanse you today.

Daily Inspiration 1-12-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Every subject 

is really two subjects: 

There is that which you desire, 

and the lack of it." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

[Classic post from 9-10-16]

They continue: "Often--even when you believe you are thinking about something that you desire--you are actually thinking about the exact opposite of what you desire. 

What you think and what you get is always a perfect vibrational match, so it can be very helpful to make a conscious correlation between what you are thinking and what is manifesting in your life experience, but it is even more helpful if you are able to discern where you are headed even before you get there. 

Once you understand your emotions and the important messages they are giving you, you will not have to wait until something has manifested in your experience to understand what your vibrational offering has been--you can tell, by the way you feel, exactly where you are headed." 

Way back in the early 70s, I learned about Transactional Analysis from a ground-breaking book by Thomas A. Harris, M.D., I'm OK--You're OK. I was drawn to self-help psychology because I wanted to understand about how I worked inside and how things would happen that I didn't want, instead of things that I did want, and many other reasons. I have always sought the simple solution because it seemed to me that it had to be simple so that we could all understand it without needing a Ph.D. Transactional Analysis, or T/A, as it became known was a breath of fresh air in the simplicity of understanding human interaction.

In the same time frame, I was blown away by Wayne Dyer's first two popular published books: Your Erroneous Zones, and Pulling Your Own Strings. They made T/A make even more sense; albeit, it a different but still very simplified way. I gobbled them up and was led to even more.

When I was led to be introduced to the Teachings of Abraham, via Esther Hicks, I found even more simplicity, but not just simplicity, but complete resonance with my desire to know and understand.

Two subjects was a very powerful lesson. I wanted financial abundance, but it didn't come, and I was able to realize that it is because though I thought I was focused on abundance, I was continually accepting the current reality of lack of abundance. And, even more important, this idea of two subjects applies to everything, whether it is love and fear, with fear being only the lack of love, wanting harmony, but choosing lack of harmony, wanting peace and choosing to fight, which is lack of peace, wanting more, and paying more attention to the current reality of more not arriving yet.

I recently put a new sign on my wall: Is My Focus On What I Want? It's to remind me which of the two subjects I am paying attention to--what I want or the lack of it because I know that I will not get what I want by paying attention to what I don't want. They are two very different vibrations and are therefore incompatible.

It's probably not you, but you have most likely heard people, friends, relatives speaking of what is going wrong in their relationship at great length, but not talking about what they really want, which is the perfect relationship with unconditional love. Or, they are talking about how broke they are, or how this happened or that, how they weren't at fault and these things just keep happening and they don't understand it, and so on. What end of that stick are they focused on? The lack end. The lack of what they really want. And, if you pay attention, you will hear little or nothing about the other end of the stick.

Isn't it so simple to see why they have what they have, why things seem to happen out of the blue, and more? If they had a diagnosis of an illness, they may constantly talk about fighting the illness, learning more about the illness, spreading the word about the illness, creating YouTube videos about it, and more. But, the other side of that stick is health, total good health--well being. How much talk is about that?

So, learning about this idea that every subject is really two subjects, the thing I want and the lack of it, or the thing I want and don't want has been very powerful to me. It allows me to give up being a victim, which I spent a great deal of time perfecting, and I am guided to personal responsibility for my thoughts--not so that I can beat myself up about that, which is the wrong end of that stick, but to understand what is going on, where I am heading, and be alert enough to ask myself if this is okay with me. If it is, fine. If it isn't, I know what to do about it. If I want something, I know what to focus on, and I will know what I am focused on by how I feel. When I'm focused on what I want, I feel good.


What I Really Want More Often Than Not, Is Joy. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by simply focusing on that end of the stick. I am joy. I spread joy. I love joy. I like it, I love it, I want more of it. I like it, I love it, I want more of it.

Daily Inspiration 1-11-18

The most valuable lessons

I have ever learned in my life!

"They say,

patience is a virtue.

But what it really is,

is a practice."

-- Albert K. Strong

[Classic post from 8-29-16]

Well, sure, patience is a virtue. And, absolutely, I have found that patience is a practice--a very worthy practice. And, in actually playing in that practice, I have found patience to be even more. Patience is peace. It is love. It is a kindness to ourselves.

When I look into my memory banks, I can see that patience was a foreign idea to me and that if anything, I was quite an impatient person. At the grocery store, I would be so busy with negative thoughts about why they didn't have enough cashiers when it was time to check out, how slow some of them were, and more. I had those thoughts where ever I shopped. Waiting in line was something I was constantly trying to avoid. Let's get on with it!

Then I read, Love Is Letting Go Of Fear, by Gerald Jampolsky. He said that we are trying to juggle so many things and that he chose one goal in his life that allowed everything else to fall into place without even having to think much about it directly. That one goal was peace--peace of mind. He wrote, "Peace of mind as our single goal is the most potent motivating force we can have."

Impatience is fear. It doesn't seem that way on the surface, but that is what it is. As Gerald says in the title: Love is letting go of fear. And, so also, Peace is letting go of fear. Peace is the same as love. It has the same vibration. Peace is also the same vibration as appreciation, joy, and freedom.

I took the message of this book to heart and began practicing letting go of the fear that was underlying all that impatience, disappointment, and distrust, and replacing it with a sense of peace, love, patience, kindness, joy.

I began where I felt the most impatience: when I was driving. I used to get so upset with all the idiots on the road. My father used to do that too. I'm sure that's where I learned it; although, I perfected it on my own. So when someone made a stupid move where I could see it, I decided to say something like, "Wow! That was interesting! I wouldn't have thought to do it that way. That's really a different way to do it." I did it when I was alone and when my wife and/or family, or others were riding with me. It began to be fun. I enjoyed it. I was looking for silly moves so that I could compliment them on it. It was a great game.

Then, I tried having patience in the stores, and in every other place, I would have been impatient. Sometimes I was gritting my teeth as I was practicing, but that didn't really last very long. It became so much fun, that I changed my whole outlook. Cashiers would say, "sorry for the wait," and I would say, "It allowed me to practice my patience, and I can use all the practice I can get! Thank you!"

Now, after many years of practice, I find very little that causes me to even have any impatience, or if I do, I am not so aware anymore. Now it is a habit to find people to appreciate, to have thoughts of love, to enjoy my practice as I wait in line, or in the "waiting room," or wherever my practice takes me. And, I feel the peace of this. I feel the love of it. I feel the freedom of it. I feel the kindness that I have poured on myself in it.


Peace Is A Most Happy Place. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because we can and it feels good. That's all the reason we need.

Daily Inspiration 1-10-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Regret: 

The saddest word 

in the English language." 

-- Tonya Hurley 

[Classic post from 9-6-16]

I've been flashing on the movie, Jerry Maguire, for the last few days. I wrote a note on one of my little sticky note pads: "I would have done exactly what Jerry Maguire did with the pamphlet." In fact, it seems to me that I have done that kind of thing more than once. It made me laugh to think about that.

But, here's the deal--if Jerry had not done the pamphlet, and had not distributed it, what would his life have been like? The passion that he had while writing the piece, and the fact that he published it, along with the fact that it was suggesting a different approach to an already massively successful enterprise, got him fired within a few hours, and it was all of that inspiration that led him (eventually) to a more fulfilling and meaningful life. The status quo is a powerful entity, as the movie demonstrated.

I used to look back on my life and there were moments, decisions, thoughtless patterns that I regretted. I would have mental movies about doing whatever it was, feeling the regret, the guilt, the blame in it, and then thinking that with what I know now, I would not have made that decision, or did that act, or said those things, or whatever it was.

What good does that ever do? Yet, I did it year in and year out. I even envisioned myself making amends somehow, but the past is just that--passed. It's over. Done. I cannot change the past no matter what I might do today. The only thing I can do about the past is to accept it. There it is. It is what I did. I don't do that anymore because I have learned much. In fact, I learned much from those experiences that brought me to where I am now.

If I would have done differently then, what would my life be like now? Better? Worse? Certainly different. But, what does that matter?

There's one thing that we all do. We learn as we go along. We all have made what we often term, mistakes. We call them poor decisions, but they were decisions we made. We only call them poor, or mistakes, because of how we see them now. All that judgment and all of it aimed at ourselves. Well, most anyway. What a waste of energy and time. As we are wrangling with the past, we have used our present to do that, when we could be experiencing the now. And, of course, we are, aren't we? The only real question is, is that what we want now? Probably not.

What changes this self-blaming, regret-filled scenario? It is acceptance. It was what it was when it was regardless of what I think about it now. That's worth repeating: It was what it was, when it was, regardless of what I think about it now. So, that's the beginning of acceptance. Here's the rest: let go of the rope of resistance to what was, and let it be perfect. Let it be the best that I could do at the time with what I knew then. Let it be okay. Let it be what it really was--an experience, a stepping stone on the path to where I am now.

We all get to choose every second of every day we are alive on this planet. We get to choose how we want to feel. If we want to feel good, we need to find ways to feel good. It's all experience. We experience as we go. We learn as we go. Let us enjoy the present because that is where life is actually experienced.


Acceptance Is Love, And Love Is Acceptance. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by allowing your life thus far to be perfectly planned and executed. If it had not been, you would not be.

Daily Inspiration 1-9-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Forgiveness never meant much to me, 

until I realized, that if it was truly forgiveness, 

it was inseparable from peace and love." 

-- Terry Minion 

[Classic post from 9-7-16]

Learning about true forgiveness has been a lengthy journey, and once I accepted the fullness of the idea, the main journey has been in the practice of it.

A Course in Miracles, says much about forgiveness, and here is just a little of that: "Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. It does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin. . . An unforgiving thought is one which makes a judgment that it will not raise to doubt, although it is not true. The mind is closed and will not release. . . Forgiveness, on the other hand, is still, and quietly does nothing. . . It merely looks, and waits, and judges not." 

And here is a very enlightening aspect to add to that, also from the Course: "As you condemn only yourself, so do you forgive only yourself." Forgiveness is not to release another, it is to release ourselves, for as we are unforgiving, we are binding ourselves to that which has not occurred to us, or by us. I have to add one more sentence from the Course: "God is the Love in which I forgive." 

I was trying to remember where I began this journey of learning about forgiveness. I think it was in the early 1980s after I bought and read the book, Love Is Letting Go of Fear, by Gerald Jampolsky. This little book that can be read completely in less than an hour is easily in the top five books I have ever read in terms of its power in my life. I always have plenty of copies on hand in my office, and I've given several hundred away, planting seeds of peace, love, and forgiveness to any who are willing to open the book and read and consider for themselves.

I still struggled with my past thoughts and trying to make my way in the world so to speak. For so many years, I would learn a little more, and then I finally began earnestly practicing forgiveness, along with the idea of unconditional love.

Forgiveness is so attached to unconditional love, for in a love without conditions, there is only peace and forgiveness, and again, the idea of forgiveness is a matter of realizing that there is really only love--that there is nothing to forgive, that in this love, I am completely at peace.


To Forgive Is Like It Never Happened. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by for-giving yourself the love and joy you deserve. It was just an illusion. Smile! You're bathed in unconditional love!

Daily Inspiration 1-8-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Calmness of mind

is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. 

A man becomes calm in the measure 

that he understands himself 

as a thought-evolved being." 

-- James Allen 

[Classic post from 9-2-16]

I guess you'd have to say that calmness of mind is a most valuable lesson that I am learning more fully as I continue to evolve, grow, become. I can clearly see the value of this serenity and peace. I am encouraging the allowing within me of its presence and fullness of spirit. I can clearly see the value of this not only for myself and my own peace but of that as an example and encourager of others in what often appears to be chaos and unbridled reaction in the world sometimes.

In the world, it seems to take very little to set off a reaction, and then a chain-reaction magnifying this chaos, and often over things that are relatively insignificant, and often blown completely out of proportion and perspective.

I just watched a new movie release on DVD, and loved it so much, watched it twice so far. It is titled, The Congressman with Treat Williams. His honest and forthright response to accusations of wrong-doing were escalated to anger and hatred of something he had every right to choose. Granted, in this situation, there are forces in the background helping in self-serving ways to encourage maximum chaos via manipulation, and yet throughout it all, he remained in control, calm for the most part considering the flak, and secure within himself. To me, he was an example of the calmness that I endeavor in my own life, much of which I am so pleased to admit is well on its way to increasing fullness.

Then there's the whole Kaepernick thing, which interestingly enough is also focused on a piece of colored cloth given far more significance than it deserves. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and the entire Internet is ablaze with ire and suggestions about what to do about it all, and with him. A little calmness would go a long way here, as it would and does in all volatile situations involving thoughts and people.

I used to have a sign on my wall (I have to change them out from time to time), that came from a CD seminar with Bob Proctor. I repeated this line in large letters several times on that sign: Reaction?. . . . Response! It helped me a good deal to pay attention to the fact that I often reacted thoughtlessly when a thoughtful response would have been so much more appropriate and effective.

I'll finish with a direct quote from James Allen on this subject from his masterful book, As A Man Thinketh, in the last chapter, titled, Serenity:

"Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought. 

A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought, and as he develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene. 

The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn of him and rely upon him. The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good." 


"Calmness Is Power. Say Unto Your Heart, "Peace, Be Still!" -- James Allen 

Spread Some Joy Today--My mother used to tell me to count to ten before I responded to something that upset me. It's funny how wise that advice was. Now I don't count, I just breathe deeply, close my eyes if I'm not using a chainsaw or driving, and float in that temporary serenity.

Daily Inspiration 1-7-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"'Til death do you (us, we) part." 

-- an interesting phrase that is

is common in marriage ceremonies. 

[Classic post from 9-1-16]

I wonder how many marriage ceremonies I've seen on television and in movies. It must be several thousand. In addition, the many different types of marriage vows made were also interesting, and, of course, full of challenging expectations of each other, as well as devoid of real-life experience, claiming an imaginary duration and outcome.

I'm not being negative about marriage, even though, according to statistics, only about half survive without divorce. Frankly, having been married twice myself, I'm amazed that the divorce rate is not higher, especially if we compared that to the unreal expectations at the marriage ceremony.

It's interesting how things just pop into my head, and when I'm awake and alert, I might even write them down. This morning, as I was considering this Daily Inspiration among several hundred other thoughts, I wrote down a marriage vow that made sense to me from my experience, and from my gained wisdom of living into my sixties. Here it is, for what it's worth:

"I am me. I have likes and dislikes. I lean toward the likes and away from the dislikes. Where our likes intersect, we can experience a sense of oneness. Where they do not intersect, yet are similar in nature, we can be in harmony. Where they are not complimentary, we may enjoy periodic cooperation, or where they are not, we can enjoy mutual freedom and respect. In all, within and without, I am now, and will be loving without condition, secure in myself in peace." 

That works perfectly for me and I think it would work equally well for others. If we can say that to each other and have it come from the heart, there is nothing but love, regardless of the longevity. Divorce would only mean a change in focus and temporary location.

I grew up with two nasty divorces. The divorces weren't a bad thing, but I saw the nastiness as completely unnecessary and foreign to my psyche. I vowed it would never happen that way to me. It hasn't. It won't. It could never be.

Why? Because I learned one of the most valuable lessons that have guided my life: Love is not really love if it can be something other than love. In other words, love could never turn into hate. Love is the equivalent vibration of freedom, empowerment, joy, and appreciation. It vibrates there. Anger, hate, distrust, powerlessness vibrate at a much different frequency. They are incompatible. If you love, you love. If you love, you forgive. If you love, you allow. If you love, you are not attached and do not cling (despair). If you love, you will always love. Love does not require circumstances for itself. It is. Regardless of circumstances.

I simply have to repeat one of my all-time favorite quotes by one of my lifelong mentors, Wayne Dyer, where he gave the single best definition of unconditional love I've ever read: "Love is the ability and willingness to allow others that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you." 

In the immediacy of the situation, one can dislike the choices that another will choose to make, but love is the ability, and the willingness, to allow those choices to be acceptable, to be perfect for them, because they were made by the other person, and because love carries no insistence, no demands, to satisfy me, or then withhold my love and respect. If that were the case, it would not be love. It would not be freedom. It would not be appreciation. It would not be empowerment. It would not be joy. It would be some other vibration--something else entirely.


I Have Learned What Love Means To Me. Simply One Of The Most Powerful Lessons I Could Ever Have Learned. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving who you are, where you are, with whom you are in the presence of.

Daily Inspiration 1-6-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Life gets awesome 

when you make up your mind 

to perceive it as awesome." 

-- Karen Salmansohn 

[Classic post from 9-9-16]

This valuable lesson is about choice, and a choice is a multidimensional thing to me. There is, what we might call in current medical terminology, the 'pre-choice' phase, then the mental testing phase, the choice itself, and the results, or the exit interview phase.

Recently, I've been tip-toeing back through parts of A Course in Miracles, and just the other day underlined some passages that I found fascinating. It is in the first section in a sub-section on Fear and Conflict:

"You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think. You cannot separate yourself from the truth by "giving" autonomy to behavior." 

What was really interesting to me is that this morning I printed out a number of quotes that I receive every day, and it was as if they lined up perfectly with what I had in mind to share. Here's a couple of them:

"Within the seed of your desire is everything necessary for it to blossom to fulfillment. And Law of Attraction is the engine that does the work. Your work is just to give it a fertile growing place in order to expand." -- Abraham, Esther Hicks

"The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from the domination of outside conditions." -- Robert Louis Stevenson

Yesterday, I was standing in the carport outside my office looking on the courtyard, feeling the magical breeze, hearing my favorite wind chime with its soft, clear, perfectly tuned tones with all its overtones, holding little Charlie, my dog so that he could enjoy it too. I said to Charlie, "This is heaven. This is heaven on earth. Yes, Charlie, we're in heaven right now." Yes, it's true. I actually did say that aloud.

Have you ever felt that way? I used to have to go on a long trip to some other place like Hawaii or something to feel like that, but now, something has changed inside me and I don't have to go anywhere at all to feel it. It is right where I am, wherever I am, as I choose to allow that feeling within me, and my feeling comes from my thoughts, and when my thoughts feel good, I am in alignment with my greater, inner Source of All That Is.

The quote said, "You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think," but it is the thinking that creates the possibility of choice and the choice will create the doing. Sometimes we want to escape where we are to go to a place we think will be so much better, only to realize that we brought ourselves with us. In other words, we bring our thinking with us, and our creations are from our thinking.

Now, I know that a change of venue can influence our thought. Tony Robbins calls that a "change of state." It isn't the doing that controls, but the doing can be a temporary influence, opening the door to a more permanent change in thinking. More often, of course, it is our thinking that creates our state, as in how being depressed, feeling sorry for ourselves, has our physical body in a certain state, and then merely by immediately and grandly changing that physical state of our body, we can immediately influence the thoughts. I've done a demonstration of that in training classes I've done. But just changing the state, or the location is not enough for it to last. We have to get to the real cause in the cause and effect loop: the thoughts. They are infinitely more important.

As Robert Stevenson said, "the habit of being happy enables. . ." Like Karen 'Not Salmon' Salmansohn says, "Life gets awesome when you make up your mind to perceive it as awesome." It is a choice of thought, a decision, a way of seeing something that may not have otherwise been seen, as in my 'heaven on earth' thoughts.

We get to choose every moment of every day how we will think, and what our thoughts will be and thereby what we will create within us and without us. As A Course in Miracles, points out, "Few appreciate the real power of the mind. . . The mind is very powerful and never loses its creative force. It never sleeps. Every instant it is creating. It is hard to recognize that thought and belief combine into a power surge that can literally move mountains. . . There are no idle thoughts. All thinking produces form at some level." 


I've Made Up My Mind To Perceive It As Awesome! 

Spread Some Joy Today--How many levels of joy do you suppose there are? Hmmm. Interesting idea. Sounds like fun to try them out one by one!

Daily Inspiration 1-5-18

The most valuable lessons 

I have ever learned in my life! 

"Most people do not listen 

with the intent to understand; 

they listen 

with the intent to reply." 

-- Stephen R. Covey 

[Classic post from 9-5-16]

As a salesman since 1972, and a sales manager since 1975, I have a little experience in sales and teaching sales, and one might think that sales is mostly about learning what to say. Even salespeople often think this is true, but it's not.

The art of sales--and it is an art when practiced with skill--is far more about not talking. It's about listening. But, not just listening. It's about listening to understand. A sales person's best skill after listening to understand is asking questions to determine why and how the prospect wants to buy. If they didn't want to buy, they wouldn't be there; albeit, they may have put the cart before the horse.

Again, as with so many of these grand life lessons I've been sharing, they are not something that is learned and done. They are a practice. They are a practice because of our ever-present ego, and since there is no way of removing the ego, we can only control its attempts to lead, by our awareness that we are not our ego, and that our ego serves us as we allow it to serve, and we need to allow it to serve us only rarely.

The ego's desire to be in charge, to be right, to be the winner turns a conversation into a test of who can win by talking and winning points. It wants the interaction, but it hates to lose, and I've been in many conversations like this, and I've also experienced my own ego leading conversations, and frankly, when they're done, that's when I know that I forgot to practice listening and that I allowed my ego to rant.

I've learned over the years to be a better listener. I find that I love to hear people talk about themselves, their lives, their adventures. I have learned to ask questions to help them to continue to share. I learned a lot about this by watching my late wife, Nancy. She was an artist at getting people to talk and wanting to learn all about them. Small talk bores me to tears, but she would take small talk, and by asking good questions, she would turn it into substantial communication.

Now I would rather listen and learn from someone than to share anything about me. I practice this on purpose and with purpose. After all, I know every detail about me already, but I want to know so much more about the other person.

In sales, I was taught that we listen and ask questions in order to find common ground, and as we find commonality, we can make a positive connection, which helps lead to comfort and trust. I used that a lot, and it became such a habit. Now, I still think that it is true that common interests can be helpful, but I would rather learn about them than tell them about our similarities. A little talk goes a long way. A lot of listening goes much further.

It is also very interesting, and even enlightening, to be in a conversation with someone who is a great listener and who knows how to draw us out. That feels great, doesn't it? So imagine then how it feels when we are the great listeners.


"When People Talk, Listen Completely." -- Ernest Hemingway 

Spread Some Joy Today--by encouraging and allowing others to share their joy with you.

Daily Inspiration 1-4-18

"All this worldly wisdom 

was once the unamiable heresy 

of some wise man." 

-- Henry David Thoreau 

[Classic post from 10-3-16]

In my browsing this morning, I read the quote above and burst out laughing. All this means is that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

I laugh at this because it is fascinating to me how I have stumbled, fell into, found myself in the right place at a very odd time, and hundreds of other ways that I have been guided to in spite of my predilection for something else, and attracted because I am searching for something, even when I may not remember what I was searching for.

Yesterday, I shared insights into Gabrielle Bernstein's latest book just released, The Universe Has Your Back. She says, "The key to trusting in the Universe's plan is to let go of all outcomes. When we get hung up about how something "should" turn out, then we disconnect with the flow of universal guidance. The energy behind a "should" mentality is controlling and manipulating. The Universe does not align with that energy. Therefore, we cut off communication and receptivity. It's when we let go of the outcome that we open up our perceptual worldview and allow ourselves to be led." 

Of course, it all begins with the desire to know, a desire for something more or different. This is the fuel of living or life itself. The contrast around us causes us to want something. As we become specific about that, we think we should be so specific that we know it all, but that would be within the limits of our own knowing. If however, we allow the Universe or God to bring exactly that or maybe even something way better, in that releasing to the Universe, we put all the power of the Universe at our disposal.

The thing that we have the most control over is how we want to feel. If we simply stick to that ideal and give up everything else, we are opening ourselves to magic! I can think of several times in my life where I gave it to God, to the Universe to handle, stating simply what I want from a feeling point of view and I was rewarded with far more than I could have imagined on my own. Far more.

Wanting is life. It is living. We cannot not want. Getting is something we can control if we want to, but when we let it go, let all the resistance go, and give it to the Universe to provide the details, miracles happen.

However, truth be told, I have only released full control a few times in comparison. Most of the time, I hold tight to how I think it should turn out. I pay attention to the facts, the reality, that it hasn't yet come, that my desire may be out of line, it may just be wishful thinking. I change my mind over and over. I let my ego tell me all the reasons why it won't happen, that I don't deserve it, not smart enough, or just not enough period. I pay attention to the economy and all the lists in the news about how many things are not right yet, so why should mine be? I try and try, and try, I state that I'm gonna change. When? Tomorrow, of course. I bargain, and I attempt to manipulate.

I am practicing releasing my resistance, but it has to be something powerful to get through that resistance. Of course, what is more powerful than God? I am changing though. I am becoming someone who lets go and allows God more often.


Asking, Then Getting Out Of The Way. 

Spread Some Joy Today--because it is so wonderful--magical really--to see the other's face light up when you are sharing your joy. It's as if your joy has become theirs.

Daily Inspiration 1-3-18

"Happiness based on condition 

is like building a house 

on a sandbar at low tide." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

[Classic post from 10-11-16]

Many have decided that their happiness is based on conditions. They say, "I am happy when __________," or "I will be happy when ________," This makes me happy," or "He or she makes me happy," or "To me, happiness is _________." All of these are based on conditions, and if the conditions don't show up, what then?

I've often said that happiness is a choice, it is not a destination. It truly is a choice, and if it is left up to the whims of conditions, happiness is a hit and miss affair at best. Some of the most popular songs in all of songdom are based on conditions making us happy or unhappy. To live happily ever after is a common phrase, and based on the divorce rate, that would be a lot of unhappily ever after candidates. But even those who haven't divorced may be seeing that happily ever after is merely an idealism. And, besides, divorce only creates unhappiness if we decide that it does.

Abraham, Esther Hicks demonstrates that happiness is a personal choice this way: "The best thing you could do for anyone that you love, is be happy! And the very worst thing that you could do for anyone that you love, is be unhappy, and then ask them to try to change it, when there is nothing that anybody else can do that will make you happy." That would also broaden to include not just anyone else, but anything else as well.

Conditions are constantly changing. We don't run the world, the world is running on its own. We are creating some conditions perhaps, but by and large, there are a massive number and types of conditions that we are not controlling. I love John Mayer's song, where he says they're "waiting on the world to change." That could be a while. Probably never.

Love is the same way because love and happiness are similar vibrations. As everything is as we prefer it, we are in love, and when the other does something that really upsets us, we are no longer in love, it is very much conditional love. If they are faithful, I will love them, and if they are unfaithful, I will despise them, or it could be a million things that are much less traumatic that turn us off. Of course, that's a good way to visualize conditional love or conditional happiness, as a light switch that is turned on and then turned off, turned on again, then off again, and so on. Light, dark. Feel good, feel bad. In love, out of love. Respect, no respect. With unconditional happiness, we turn the switch on, then we seal the switch inside the wall so we can't turn it off.

Conditions are challenging. In fact, I would have to say that as long as we leave it to conditions, we could never be happy or in love for very long. And, it's okay to live that way, as most of us do. But, what if we chose unconditional happiness instead? Could we live a life of unconditional happiness? I think, yes. We simply decide to be happy no matter what. If we give in to what, we can recommit to be happy regardless of what. As we practice being happy without what calling the shots, we become unconditionally happy. Conditions no longer decide. We decide. We have the power. The only question remains is will we choose it or not.

Michael Singer, from his book, The Untethered Soul, says, "If you want to be happy, you have to let go of the part of you that wants to create melodrama. This is the part that thinks there's a reason not to be happy. . . .The question is simply "Do you want to be happy?" If the answer is really yes, then say it without qualifying it. . . .You have to give it an unconditional answer. . . .The real question is whether you want to be happy regardless of what happens." 

What would your life be like if you practiced unconditional happiness? Unconditional love? Unconditional appreciation? It wouldn't be without challenges, but the sincere practice of it makes it easier and more consistent until the challenges have no effect anymore.


The Happy Place Is Within, Not Without. 

Spread Some Joy Today--but deciding to do so.

Daily Inspiration 1-2-18

"The pleasure we feel in criticizing 

robs us from being moved 

by very beautiful things." 

-- Jean de la Bruyere 

[Classic post from 9-25-16]

It's natural to have preferences. It is not natural to criticize others or something others have done. We need only recognize that we are feeling that this is not for us, turn and move toward what is.

I just love movies, and I've seen videos and articles in newspapers from movie critics. Predominantly, they seem to be seeking what is wrong with the film, or what they missed, left out, failed to achieve, and much more. Critical is the correct word. Rarely do I read or see a truly positive and inspiring review.

So, I was thinking today as I was doing some errands that because I love movies so much and I watch them pretty much every single day, I could be a movie reviewer. Except, I would never again want to be a critic. I would be a movie praiser. That's right. A Movie Praiser. Terry the Movie Praiser. When I would review a new film, I would only write a review if I could praise it. If it was so unappealing to me that I couldn't sing its praises, I would have to pass on doing a review.

If that were tied to a star rating, that would still be okay, because even if I rated it a 2-star or 3-star out of 5, I would only write what I honestly could praise about it. No negative comments about it. Just praise, or nothing.

Of course, I've been playing with this in my life for some time with people, things, events, news, and my own thoughts. I have found so much value in seeking what is good, working, positive as opposed to trying to point out all the faults. I love finding appreciation. And, it always seems to be there as I look for it.


It Just Seems To Flow Better Because It Feels Better. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by speaking joy. My grandmother used to say, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Daily Inspiration 1-1-18

"The privilege of a lifetime 

is being who you are." 

-- Joseph Campbell 

[Classic post from 9-26-16]

If you were to bother to look up quotes about purpose, and specifically, life purpose, they would be as clear as mud. It's been said by many that our only purpose on this earth, in this life--our single goal is to figure out why we're here. Michael Hyatt said, "Your life matters. You are here for a reason. Your job is to determine why." Right. Like that's easy or something.

Then, the wise and prolific, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said, "The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." Hmmm. The purpose of life is not to be happy. . . so I guess we should cross happiness off our goal list, and adopt duty instead. Not for me, thanks.

In attempting to clear the muddy water, I'm clear that this quote from Robert Bryne isn't much of a filter: "The purpose of life is a life of purpose." Well, there ya go! The purpose of purpose is purpose!

I love it when famous people say, "everyone has a divine purpose on this earth, and your only job is to figure out what that is and then go do it." Well, say, don't you say! Our only job. Hmmm. I guess that I haven't been doing my job through all these years. And, how would I know my divine purpose when it was shown to me? And, why the heck wasn't that made more clear at the beginning. I could have just followed the bread crumbs! I woulda had a map. The journey would have been clear. I woulda made all the right choices. I woulda lived a life worth living, a life of purpose, even divine purpose because it was given me at the beginning.

Dribble. It reminds me of the Mission Impossible TV show. Good morning, Mr. Minion. Your purpose, should you decide to accept it, is to find your one purpose. . . LOL. Like rad, man! Bitchin' I'm digging it. Far out! Well, don't say, you say.

Some are so confused by all this that they may wander their entire lives trying to find that needle-in-a-haystack purpose that was meant only for them, perhaps disappointed at every little turn. Our only purpose is to figure out our purpose. . . . I'm not one of the lucky ones! I'm a failure. I can't figure it out. My life is wasted and meaningless. . .

So, I'll help here. There is no purpose that is not known by you. If you're here and you're currently alive and breathing, your purpose is already fulfilled. Cross that one off your list. You're done. You're worthy. You're loved. You're valued. You're appreciated. You are enough. 

Let me add a few things that I have learned. They may or may not benefit you. You are you. I am me. Yet, we are all at the same time, part of the One, part of All.

I love Ralph Waldo Emerson, but I have to disagree with him. My purpose is to be happy, and happiness is not something I need to find. It is always there whenever I choose to allow myself to feel it. I always choose. Next, choosing love instead of fear has always worked best for me. Fear is always near, but as Jim Carrey so wisely said, "fear is going to be a player in your life, but you get to decide how much." I choose very little. Love feels way better. Way better.

I also love how Joseph Campbell said that to "follow your bliss," is as good as it gets in purpose. Indeed. Bliss is love. Love is bliss.

So, truly, it really is about me feeling good. It's not about sacrificially serving others, although to do so can be love, as in the life of Mother Teresa, who didn't sacrifice, because she gave out of her joy. She followed her good feelings--her bliss. As I choose to pay attention to how thoughts and things feel to me, and as I choose to focus on the ones that feel good, I am being more the real me that I sometimes have chosen to hide behind the fear. The more often I "let the armor go," as Jim Carrey wisely said, the more free I become to enjoy my life journey.

I like how Wayne Dyer said that, "to feel good is to feel God." 


Your Purpose Is Assured. You're Here. You're Alive! The Rest Is Just Smoke And Mirrors. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting the armor go and letting your life force shine through your form.