Wolves

I love wolves. I think they are beautiful majestic animals. My screen name since we first started using them back in the 80's with bulletin board services has been "Timberwolf". Once the Timberwolves basketball team came around I had to add a few numbers to it to be able to keep it so now it's "Timberwolf123". The reason I bring this up is that wolves in general are very misunderstood animals. They have been labeled as evil & bad.

I don't like labels I wrote two blogs on labels back in October. The first dealt with labeling anything in your life & the second discussed labeling people, check them out if you'd like. The truth about wolves is that they are one of the more complex animals in the animal kingdom. They are very social, intelligent, great parents & only kill weak or sick animals. They were hunted to extinction in the western U.S. in a very awful way in the early 1900's. An amazing book about this was Nicholas Evans "The Loop". Then in the mid 90's the National Park Service began a reintroduction program in Yellowstone National Park. This reintroduction has been very successful & has restored the natural balance to the Park (before the introduction they had a problem with two many deer & Elk). The Park service still battles with cattlemen in the area who believe the wolves are a menace & cause them great losses to their cattle.

The facts are that although the wolves have killed some cattle (for the most part)they were the weak or sick & the cattlemen have been paid for each of their losses. The unfortunate thing is because of the culture of generations of killing these wolves most of these cattlemen still have a very bad attitude towards the wolves.

Labeling & teaching these labels to our children is a an awful tradition in this world today. Most of the hate that still exists in this world is because of generations of people labeling people for things that were done sometimes thousands of years ago. This labeling continues the cycle of hate & closes off the minds of those involved. Let go of the hate & racism that you were taught. Open your mind to this new world that is dawning right in front of us.

Why do I say this? I believe that their is a conscious shift happening in the world today. The use of the internet has brought people together closer then they ever have been & the differences that have been perpetuated for generations are beginning to dissolve. People are beginning to discover a better way. This better is to love! Love is the answer to everything this world needs, if we could all learn to love a little more this world would be an even more amazing place.

Let go of the labels in your life, learn to love more...starting with yourself. Each of you are a beautiful precious gift to the world & you have the ability to change the world. Believe in yourself & believe in love.

Till Monday....have a great weekend,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Wolves are a great example of how much labels can hurt the world. Let go of labels, open your mind & love more."

The Dawning of another day

Over the past year I've had many people ask me how I stay so positive on a day in & day out basis. The answer for me has become a way of life. It took me a longtime to figure this out but once I did it's made all the difference in the world. I have bad days just like everyone else does but I've learned to even shorten the bad days to hours for the most part. How have I learned to do this? I've learned to begin each day anew. I let go of the troubles of the day before & I'm grateful to start another day.

This has been an amazing transition for me but it all begins with being grateful. Sometimes in a day it's difficult to find something to be grateful for, not because of bad things happening but because it doesn't appear that there's been anything good. So many of us just glide through a day from one day to the next nothing ever really changes. That's not the way to live your life.

I literally start each day as a new beginning. I wake up & let go of the day before. I clear my mind & say "Yesterday is just a distant memory, I am grateful for the lessons I learned & the wonderful moments. I choose to start this day anew as each day is a precious gift. I'm grateful for the gift of another day. I start this day with an open heart & mind & look for the wonderment of this new day."

That's it. I say this every morning before I get out of bed & I always start the day in a positive manor. This practice becomes a habit which naturally gets you into a good mood as soon as you wake up. Even on days way I'm waking up slowly I take a moment to begin with this phrase.

Remember that yesterday is the past & no matter what's happened it's done & over with. Today is a gift & it truly is all we ever have. Live from a place of love with an open heart & mind & each day will be a treasure to be discovered.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of day: "Each day is a precious gift, begin each day with gratitude in your heart & you will lead a more joyful life."

My Favorite things

Ok I know several of you that read this blog have also received this award. I love the idea of blogs & passing the awards around to keep it going I am writing 10 things that make me happy & listing my 10 favorite blogs (in no particular order).

10 things that make me happy

1. My beautiful wife Heidi. We've known each other for almost 14 years & been married for nearly 10. As with any relationship we have our moments of good & bad & the last 8 months with me out of work have been no exception to that. But the good far outweighs the bad, she truly is the best thing that ever happened to me & I love her more then she'll could ever truly understand.

2. Baseball - baseball has always been my favorite game & I use to be really good at it. My downfall is that I'm a Chicago Cubs fan & will always be. I enjoy watching the game & I still play every now & then.

3. My Children - Carrie, Samantha & Andrea have always brought me great joy. As a parent there's always trying times but I love them all & wish I could see them much more then I do.

4. Music - I love music & listen to it everyday. I still sing along with the tunes although my voice is very out of practice from when I was a professional actor. I wrote a wonderful blog about music a couple of months ago check it out.

5. Theatre - I still love to go when I can & it's been apart of my life for nearly 35 years. I performed at all levels from H.S. & College to Community Theatre, Semi-Professional & Professional. All in all I was in around 80 different productions & still love to have it in my life.

6. The Smoky Mountains - My little retreat from the world I've been going down there for over 25 years and still enjoy it as much today as the first time. The beauty & wonderful of the area is amazing to me. If you can ever go there be sure to check it out.

7. Photography - I love to take pictures of everything but especially the outdoors. I have played with photography since the time I was a child & I've won a few awards for some of my pictures. My eldest daughter just graduated with her degree in photography so we share this love together.

8. My Dogs - Sydney & Adelaide are two Australian Cattle Dogs & they make me laugh nearly everyday. Along with the joy they bring they are also the most loving dogs I've ever owned. We love to take walks together in the State park that's near my home.

9. Writing - This is something new that I've discovered. I've written technical stuff including training session & ad copy for years but started my blog a few weeks after I was laid off & have really enjoyed the whole process of writing.

10. Reading - I love to read books & I've enjoyed reading the blogs of everyone I know. Read also brings me great peace & can take me away to places I never knew I could explore.

My 10 Favorite Blogs (in no order)

1. Uplift Antidote

Jacqui writes a heart warming blog about life. She's always uplifting & a wonderful read. Start reading her blog today.

2. Stepping Gingerly

Canyn is a wonderful writer & a deep meaningful spirit. Take a look at this lovely blog.

3. Healing Morning

Dawn is a kindred spirit, she's a wonderful writer & has a great perspective about whatever she writes about. Start reading her blog today.

4. Onativia

Ray writes beautiful poetry, the imagery he expresses in his work is amazing & he always has a unique perspective of life. Give his blod a read today.

5. Fireside Moments

Anahid is another great read. She has a unique perspective on every topic she writes about. Check her out today.

6. Sally Lee...by the Sea

Marie writes a wonderful blog about the various products her company has available as well as life in general. She always includes great pictures & is a dear friend. Check out her blog & products today.

7. The (Not-Always) Happy Homemaker Diary

Melissa gives a wonderful perspective of her daily life in this blog. She shows what it's like to be a stay at home Mom. She'll make laugh & cry sometimes in the same blog. Give her blog a read today.

8. Artisan of the Human Spirit

Tony has a great blog I just joined in reading it in the last couple of weeks & I'm hooked. Check out his blog today.

9. Coffee with Marty

Marty is a great friend & one of the co-founders of Authentic Bloggers on Facebook. His blog encompasses a wide variety of topics. Check it out today.

10. Authentic Blogger

Is a wonderful new blogging group on Facebook. The people who post here are warm & caring. They also participate with constructive comments on the members blogs. In addition this blog has great tips for any blogger. Check it out today.

I hope you you learned a little more about me. Thanks for being apart of my life & thanks for the award.

Hugs,

Bill

Teamwork

Growing up I was always very involved in sports. In fact I've played most major sports in some form or another throughout my life. As I've gotten older I haven't played sports as frequently as I use to but I do still occasionally play. With the AFC/NFC Championships this past weekend I thought a lot about this topic. So I thought we should discuss it today.

Most of the things I've written about in this blog have been ways to improve yourself to live a more joyful life. To me teamwork is also very important. Most of us have to deal with others daily in our jobs & many times we have to work with these people in a team setting. I have been in a management position in nearly every job I've had since I was 16 so working with people & motivating people to work as team is something that I'm very familiar with. So how do you motivate people? How do you work together as a team?

In my experience the best way to begin is to listen. I usually will start a group project by explaining the objective & then listening to input from the team. Through this listening often there are great ideas that can be incorporated into an action plan for the group. Even when there aren't good ideas coming from the group by starting with listening the other members of the group feel included. After listening & discussing what the team has been talking about I formulate an action plan. Once this plan is created & assignments give out to the different team members the work usually begins.

The next step for me is to circle back with each of the team members & discuss their assignments. It's important to remember that every person involved in the team has their own issues & personality so I like to give each person some personal attention to understand their resistance to anything going on with the project. By understanding the issues that each of the members of the team have, I believe the team becomes stronger.

Understanding that each person in the team is individual & listening with an open heart will lift each member of the team up to be more successful, not only in this project but in their career going forward.

There's is a joy in working together as a great team that can not be discounted. This feeling of being apart of a group that's supportive & successful can change the atmosphere of any work place. By believing in yourself & your team members you can accomplish anything.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Through teamwork anything is possible. Create a team today & change the world tomorrow."




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Transitions

How do you deal with transitions? To me transitions are that time between events or moving from one point of your life to another. Transitions can cause change but are not change themselves. Sometimes transitions are easy, like going from home to work. Other times they can be difficult, like going on in your life after you've lost a loved one.

I think our approach to transitions, just like so many other things in life, can make a big difference. I personally always try to stay open & accepting to any transition I have in my life. The hard part for me is if a transition is taking a long time. Although I always preach patience & overall I'm very good at having patience. When a transition goes on for a long period of time, it can begin to be a bit draining. I'm currently stuck in one of these long transitions. I have felt for a while that the reason I was laid off was to have time to do something bigger & better. I still really feel that way & in a lot of ways this blog & the people I've met because of it have been a wonderful part of my transition. I still look forward to everyday & I keep the wonderment of a child in my heart. I know that miracles happen all the time & in the right time my miracle will happen. But this transition has been longer then I would have ever expected it to be.

I have worked since the time I was 12 years old, beginning with my paper route. I have lost other jobs but I've never been unable to find a another job for longer then a couple of months. This transition is about to reach 8 months. I will never lose my faith or my belief in miracles, even if this transition goes on much longer. I know in my heart that everything that happens to us has a purpose & sometimes these transitions prepare us for a much greater life in front of us.

So if you're going through a transition, know that it to will come to an end. Never lose your hope or faith & no that even when it's darkest there's always time for the dawn. I believe in the process of God/universe & know that we can make it through whatever transition comes our way.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Transitions happen in our life for a reason. Belief in the process & know that the best is yet to come."






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Communication

So the other day I wrote about "Listening" & it dawned on me this morning that as important as it is to listen there's much more to communication then just listening. I wonder in this day of uber communication whether we are truly communicating better. I know it's easier then ever to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world but has the art of communication been lost in all the technology?

I believe true communication is a very important part of living a more joyful life. I think trying to make your way through everything we're bombarded with in this day & age can be tough though. I've written before about trying to quiet the noise around you & I think with communication it's especially true. I think that everyone that comes into your life has a message for you. Sometimes it's not a message we want to hear because many times we get back what we put out into the world. And for many of us what we put out is our biggest fear. I wrote blog early on that I entitled "reflection" that talks about how the universe gives us back what we put out into the world.

To me this "reflection" is the reason to pay attention to everything that comes into your life. Don't get me wrong it's not easy to see the things you don't like about yourself reflected back at you but in order to grow & become a better person I believe it's a necessary evil. The more people you truly communicate with in your life the better the opportunity there is to learn & grow. I know at times we all get tired of communicating with anyone, that's ok. But to truly grow & learn the messages God/universe is sending into your life you need to take the time to communicate with everyone who enters your life. It's only through the art of true communication that we can discover what we need to know to continue our journey to a more joyful life.

Practice listening & communicating, open your heart to all that enter into your life & pay attention to the messages that you are receiving, even when they aren't things you want to hear. Sometimes it's only through hearing the messages over & over again that we can grow & change our life.

I hope you all have a great weekend,

Till Monday,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Practice the art of true communication with everyone in your life. The message you receive can open your heart to a more joyful life."




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Pain

How do you deal with pain in your life? Not physical pain but emotional pain. I think it's important to discuss the emotional pain we have in our lives & how to deal with it. I know for me it's especially difficult in times like this (i.e. Haiti) because I've always been a very compassionate & empathic person. It's difficult to see the level of tragedy that is going on in the world & not be moved by it.

Two of the most precious emotions we can feel as individuals in this world are compassion & empathy. I wrote a blog on each a few months ago. Compassion is the ability to understand & feel badly for someone else because of what they are going through in their life. Empathy is the ability to actual feel what the other person is feeling or at least a deeper understanding then compassion is. Compassion opens the heart to love. It's the first step to move beyond ones self. Empathy is the key to a better world. It's a big gift to humanity to be able to understand & feel what someone else is feeling.

So how do we move beyond this pain? Or if we're in love & been hurt, how do we move beyond that hurt & pain. I think the answer to this question is difficult because I believe everyone deals with pain in a different way. For me I first try to remember the good things involved with the pain. So in the case of a broken heart I work to remember the good times I had with the person involved. In the case of a world situation like Haiti, I try to find the goodness of what people are doing to help. In other words I release the pain by replacing it with the good that I felt or can see in any given situation.

The bottom line for me & the reason why I decided to write this blog is that regardless of the pain we feel because of having our heart open to Love, compassion & empathy we need to continue to feel these emotions & open our heart to love. The beauty & joy that love brings to our life far outweighs any pain that it may come into our lives. Remember to always come from a place of love, open your heart & give love to everyone. It's the greatest gift we can give.

Till Tomorrow,

Bill

P.S. As I write this there was another huge aftershock in Haiti (6.1 magnitude). If you haven't given already to the Red Cross just text "Haiti" to 90999 for a $10 donation added to your cell phone bill.

Quote of the day: "To move beyond the hurt & pain of love, compassion & empathy remember the good & continue to love. It's the greatest gift we can give.




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Complexity

"Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world."
— Laozi (Tao Te Ching)

Why do we make things so complex in our lives today? It seems to me that along with trying to do everything faster & better, we tend to make everything more & more complex. Often in life it's the simplest answer that is the correct answer. When we have major decisions in our life we tend to vacillate between all the options we have available to us. Some people tend to make lists of all the possibilities & work through the decision as analytically as they possibly can. I use to do this all the time. I would beat myself up to make sure that I've covered all the possibilities, to make sure that I defined everything that could happen in a situation & then prepare myself for the various scenarios that I've envisioned.

This does work on very logical level but by making decision so complex we remove ourselves from the true flow of the universe. We are all connected on so many levels in the universe & the more we try to define what is correct in our life, the further we move away from this connection. Occam's razor says that when all else is equal the simplest solution is the answer. So why do we try to make things so complex?

I think as the cumulative intelligence of the world has risen over the past 100 years we've lost what's important to us. We try to explain everything & we discount anything that can't be explained. I spoke yesterday about patience & I believe making things simple is the next step to finding true joy in your life. Let go of all the gyrations of thought, take time to feel & listen to your soul. That quiet voice deep inside, the voice of God/universe it has all the answers you need & when you begin to simplify your life you will discover the true flow of the universe. Once you realize how easy things can be when you're within the flow of the universe you will work to stay in this true flow all the time.

It is our disconnection from our source (God/universe) that causes us all the troubles we have in our lives. If we can rediscover our connection & stay within it's nature flow, we will know more joy then we can even imagine.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Simplify your life, let go of all the complexity of the worl around us & you will find true joy!"




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Frustration

Yes I get frustrated just like you do. Thankfully because of the work I've done to lead a more positive/joyful life the frustration doesn't usually last as long as it use to or as long as it does for many other people.

I have found that the best place to be when your frustrated is patient. It is in patience that the answers to your frustration will be revealed. Sometimes it's hard to be patient & for me right now it's becoming more difficult. For those you who don't know; I've been laid-off since June 5th 2009. The past 11 years I have done taxes & worked for one of the Big 4 accounting firms for 9 of those 11 years. I left 2 years ago, from the Big 4, for an opportunity that I believed was going to be a great situation & it didn't work out that way. Besides taxes/accounting I have 8 years of experience in Banking including running an $80 million loan department. In-between these to different careers I was a professional actor. I ran a theatre & was a box office manager at a theatre. So I have a good background in non-profits as well.

Ok that's enough about me. The fact is because I have worked hard to change my life & truly live the things I write about, I rarely get frustrated for long. The key I have found when dealing with negative feelings is that you need to shift your way of thinking. If you allow these emotions to take hold of you, you will spiral into a very bad place quickly. You need to acknowledge how you're feeling but then you need to change the way you look at the situation. It is in this shift of focus that you will discover the answers to the situation you're frustrated about. As I mentioned earlier, patient is also very important. God/universe can do & will do amazing things to help us through whatever we have to deal in our life, if we truly believe it's possible. But sometimes God/universe needs time to create the perfect solution to our situation. We can push to make things happen & sometimes this will work but usually this is a short term gain because it's our EGO that wants the quick solution & so the gain becomes hollow & not what we truly want in the long run.

Believe in miracles & find the patience to wait for them. This along with a shift in focus will lead you through any situation that causes you frustration.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "When frustration takes hold, change your focus be patient & miracles can happen"




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Listening

Are you a good listener? I think in the world today that we've lost the art of listening. We all try to move through life as quickly as we can & don't have time to truly listen to the people in our lives. One of the best ways to stay connected with your soul is to slow down & pay attention to everything that's in your life. This includes listening to the people in your life.

I know we all think we are good listeners. It seems to be a trait that most people think they possess but if you're truly honest with yourself you'll probably agree that you need a little help in this area. Listening to everything that comes into your life can open your mind to new discovers that otherwise would be hidden. Focus on what the people are saying. Don't think about how to respond to what you think they're saying. Take the time to actually listen.

Beyond listening to the people in your life, expand your mind to listen to the universe. Sometimes when we're struggling for answers to things in our life. If we change our focus to things we don't normally pay attention to we can find the answers we're looking for. Until you try this, I know it sounds a bit odd but trust me, you'll never understand the true benefit it can bring. Start by sitting in a park listening to the birds, I mean really listening, listen to every note they sing. This active listening can open your mind to the answers your looking for. The truth is what do you have to lose. You can at least enjoy the song the birds sing. This active listening can be anything in your life; the sound of the wind, the water or just the quiet. Take time to listen, really listen & your life will change.

Begin today practice listening to everything in your life, even the things you don't want to listen to. Pay attention & open your mind your life will be better because of it.

Till Monday, enjoy your weekend.

Bill

Quote of the day: "Open your mind & listen to everything in your life today...really listen. By paying attention to the smallest detail you can find the answers you're looking for."




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