BEGIN AGAIN

              BEGIN AGAIN

You've had one of those days. Between family and work, then add the car issue and maybe a sick pet, you're spent. You had little time to yourself. It's important to make time for yourself and for implementing the changes you've selected for your life. Even just a few minutes for yourself goes a long way toward helping you become the person you want to be. As you feel better you help improve the environment for all those around you. Most important is to remember, the sun will come up tomorrow and with a fresh new day comes the blessing and opportunity to begin again. 

NO ONE LIKE YOU

Making changes improving our lives should be a very rewarding experience. As we take simple steps to accomplish the changes, we allow ourselves to relax more and be ourselves. It's so important to be genuine. Be the unique individual you were created to be. You possess a combination of gifts and talents that are unique to you and you alone. When you live true to yourself, you experience freedom. No more pretending to be someone you are not. No more looking over your shoulder in fear of being discovered by others to be a fraud. Don't be afraid of being yourself. It brings joy to your day and real happiness to your life. 

CAPTURE A MOMENT

CAPTURE A MOMENT

We each experience the world in a unique and very individual way. It isn't our surroundings or environment that determine how we feel or the dominant emotions in the moment. It is our dominant thoughts and personal perspective that ultimately determine our experience. We can choose our focus. There is a very basic law of the operation of the mind which states, that which you do send out shall return to you again. When we look for and expect disappointment, regardless of where we are, we will find it. When we look for and expect to see beauty, we will find it. Two people may see a toddler in the park. The toddler is covered in mud and dirt. One person may grimace in concerned at seeing an obviously neglected little child. Another person may see the child and smile in delight as they imagine all the fun the little person has been having. 

We are surrounded with choice moments every day. If we will learn, early at the beginning of this year, to look for beautiful, precious moments, in whatever surroundings we find ourselves, we will capture precious and memorable moments. Begin by seeking to capture a precious moment at some point every day. 

FIX IT!

Y                FIX IT!

Making changes as part of the New year involves learning new simple ways to change, and resolving old ever present problems once and for all

A man decided late one day that a very tall tree in the yard had to go. He was tired of cleaning up after it all the time.  His yard was a mess because of it.  So, he decided to cut it down. Now, he had a chain saw, but not the right size.  If you're going to cut down a big tree you need a big chain saw. He thought,"I have a small saw so it is going to take a long time."  Well, it got dark.  he was determined to finish the job. Then he stood up to see how big around the trunk was. He kept cutting away at that tree piece by piece.  He knew exactly where it was going to fall and when. Then he sat down. There was one problem, he didn't have all the facts. The first thing about taking care of a problem you have is to know the problem inside and out.  I mean if you are going to rid yourself of a problem that has been causing you trouble

get rid of all of it.The only way you can do it is to know all the details and as stated earlier, have the right tools.

So far he knew he didn't have the right tools.  That was causing new problems.  Like taking too much time. Finally he got to the very last chunk of tree and could hear the cracking sound of a falling tree. He couldn't believe it.  It was actually falling exactly where he wanted it to go, he thought with a big smile.

So, what was the problem?Have you ever cut down a tree? Ah, there was a problem.  You see, it was HUGE!" He never considered how big the tree was.  From the base

looking up he knew it was tall.  But he didn't know how tall.

When it fell exactly where he wanted it to fall, it fell "longer" 

than he thought it would.

It crashed and then all he heard was screeching car brakes.

It actually fell onto the highway.

Sure this is simply a story about a man cutting down a big tree, but it has a far reaching lesson we can all apply to our lives.

Four important steps when facing a problem

1.  Be prepared.

2.  Have the right tools.

3.  Find out ALL the facts.

4.  Be ready for it to be bigger than you thought. Because like trees problems can have deep roots and reach higher and wider than you imagined.

"How big is your tree?"

CHANGE IT!

                CHANGE IT!

It's amazing to me that as complex as we know the human brain to be, it can only process one emotion at a time. You can't feel two different ways in the same moment or at the same time. You may vacillate rapidly between two feelings but you experience only one feeling at a time. Knowing this, we can develop creative ways to change how we are feeling. If you are experiencing an emotion you don't want, do something you know, that for you, elicits a different feeling or emotion. If you find yourself driving and stuck in slow moving or even stopped traffic and begin stressing or feeling  anxious, try singing the national anthem out loud. Notice what that does to the way you are feeling. Try this or something similar. You can take control of your emotions.  The important thing to remember is that we can experience only one emotion at a time. Don't like what you're feeling? Change it!

VISION

            VISION

Decide for this year that you owe it to yourself to live an extraordinary life and inspire others to do so in the process. 

Decide the kind of life you want to have and more importantly the type of person you want to be. To have this desired life and to become this person, we must take control of our thoughts. Our thoughts always precede any action or behavior. It is also our thoughts that come together and create our vision or image of our desired life. If everything follows thought, if our world is shaped primarily by our visions and how we respond to them, then this gives us the power and choice to choose empowering visions. It seems to be the case that great achievements follow persistence of a vision. Time after time, those who have achieved great status, influence, and success in society, those who are both internal and externally satisfied, have all held on to a strong mental image. This sounds like and appears to be a small and simple thing, but it is those simple things that bring very big results!

EYE OF THE STORM

     EYE OF THE STORM

We continue on the daily journey of a new year. My recent writings have focused on making changes for the coming year. More important, I am emphasizing and sharing methods, tools, techniques that are very simple to implement yet bring great results. The informal theme has been,'by small and simple things are great things brought to pass'.

Our mind is very powerful yet tender and complex. It's subject to strain and stress both from within and outside, and too much unresolved pressure can result in poor functioning. Emotional and mental fatigue can be just as exhausting as physical or bodily weariness. A way to stay healthy and keep on going is to apply a very simple yet powerful technique. At least once a day return to that quiet place of communication with the subconscious mind or what some people call the 'Inner Self.' Simply take five minutes to rest quietly with your inner source of life and vitality. There is a point of inner calm and stillness deep within. Sit still, get quiet, and listen. This quietness, this calm center is the only place our subconscious or Inner Self can get to us. If we want to experience this peace we must put ourselves consciously in a position to receive it. This is a secret of renewal of strength; mental, physical and spiritual. Along with regenerating your being, as you sit quietly and listen, your subconscious will release to your awareness ideas and insights along with tremendous calm. You will also experience the confidence of a mind that has found its true center. 

Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought.