WHAT DO I DESERVE?

Our biggest limit is not in what we want and cannot do, it is in what we have never considered that we can do. 

Are you living a life of mediocrity? Have you settled for a certain standard of living because you believe that's the best you can do or all that you deserve? If you believe that you 'can't be wealthy or that you can't succeed at a career you love, where did this belief come from?  Do you think, "I can't do the work I love and still make a living"? Who says? According to whom? When we challenge our limiting beliefs with empowering questions, we create conditions for change. We direct the mind to move in the direction of achievement, success, and joy. 

"RESPONSE-ABLE"

Act as if you are the controlling element of your life. When you do, you will be. 

Our joy and our misery is ultimately a matter of choice. Most of us are taught, at a very early age by both society and our environment, that we are victims of the world around us and particularly victims of our thoughts. We are taught that we have no control in life and our emotions are subject to the events of life to which we can only 'react'.  That is one of the most damaging and ugly lies that we have ever been lead to believe and accept. The 'reality' is that we always have a choice in every situation as to how we 'let' it affect us. Because we have lived for so long as of the lie were true, it will take some practice to regain our internal freedom of 'choice'. When we return to making our own choices, we no longer live our life 'reacting', we choose how we will 'respond'. We become increasingly aware that we are 'responsible' for our own peace and happiness. We gain a greater sense of independence as we grow increasingly 'response-able' for our own lives. 

TRIUMPH FROM TRAGEDY

After our greatest challenges, hard times and even lonely times we gain great wisdom and learning if we will listen and allow for the learning. Observe the disruptions of various kinds in nature. At the time of the storm, volcano, earth quake we can only see hurt and damage. If we listen or watch the continuing process, we see that nature is
seeking balance. After the volcano, rich farm land,  the earth quake results in people coming together as one. Every event in nature is part of a process of seeking and maintaining balance. Reexamine the storms in your life. What can you learn from nature to apply to you're learning and ultimate balance and peace. Learn the patterns of nature and you will discover a world filled with marvelous ways to regain joy and peace. 

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

"Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well."

Do you like the emotions or feelings you are experiencing at this very moment? If you like what you are feeling, inventory your thoughts. What are you thinking about? You now know that those thoughts result in emotions you prefer or enjoy. If you don't like what you are feeling, inventory your thoughts. What are you thinking? Those thoughts trigger feelings you don't like or want. We have an amazing power that comes standard with our basic internal wiring. This power is the ability to choose our own thoughts. It is our thoughts that trigger or launch what we are feeling. Thoughts equal emotions. If we can choose our thoughts, then we can choose our emotions. Our thoughts do not need to be a random collection of images, ideas, sounds, etc. Instead of allowing our current environment to determine our thoughts and in turn our feelings, we can choose our thoughts. The ability to choose our own thoughts is a freedom no one and no thing can ever take from us. 

TREE OF FRIENDSHIP

Friendship is like a tree. It starts with a seed: a smile, an introduction or a handshake. It needs care and nurturing: phone calls, text messages, or meeting for lunch. Visit when there is a happy occasion or a sad event. You nourish the friendship with jokes, stories and laughter. The tree can live a lifetime, giving you shade and protection from the oppressive heat of loneliness. 

Nurture the friendships you value. Don't let work and routines take precedence over your relationships. Likewise, don't let careless words or actions, like an axe to a tree, destroy what you have spent such a long time nurturing. 

MY NEIGHBOR !?

While driving in my car on errands earlier today, I saw a familiar bumper sticker on a car in front of me. For some reason, this bumper sticker, that I've seen many times before, affected me differently today. The sticker reads, "Commit random acts of kindness!" I think if we are all honest with ourselves, we must admit that the message is a good one. Doing something nice for someone else without seeking something in return, be they family, friend or stranger, can put into motion a ripple of kindness that may ultimately result in a large wave of good and great things. Simply being a little kinder to everyone with whom we come into contact is a random act that benefits giver and receiver. 

The thought that flashed into my mind upon seeing the bumper sticker this morning was, "IF WE ALL HELPED OUR NEIGHBORS, NO ONE WOULD NEED HELP!" When one of my youngest daughters was about six years old I asked her, "who is my neighbor?" Her response was a profound and tender teaching moment for this dad. In her tender, soft, high pitched voice she responded, "DAD, OUR NEIGHBOR IS ANYONE WHO NEEDS OUR HELP!"  

Consider committing a RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS. 

HOTEL ROOM DECOR

When you arrive at a hotel, you are assigned a room. You stay in it for a few days and then you move on. Sometimes you like the decor of your room, and sometimes you don't. If you don't like a painting on the wall, you don't call the manager and complain about it. As long as the room is clean, the bed is comfortable, and the television, shower and toilet work, you're happy. You figure that you are going to be out most of the day and return to the room only to sleep. Why bother complaining. 

You'll meet many people throughout your life. Many of the relationships are temporary; aquaintences, neighbors, coworkers, and even relatives. All of these people will have their own likes and dislikes, which will often clash with yours. In time, these little nuisances will pass. It is wise to accept these quirks as variations of life rather than to react and make them an issue, frustration, agitation, resentment, or irritation. Consider it from a different perspective. You have flaws from their point of view as well. When you're spending time with someone, don't attempt to change their habits (the decor of the hotel room). Enjoy their company instead (the clean room and comfortable bed). One day we all have to move on anyway.