Are you living your life in a fog? Do you stumble from one day to another? Do you live only for the next big thing, the vacation or the weekend or whatever gets you excited?
Many of us are just content with coasting through our lives. Never really doing anything to upset the apple cart. We live each day only as a means to the end & we're content with the fact that there's no real problems. We're happy to think that life is about living only special moments & we live for them no matter how infrequently they come around. We are for all practical purposes just comfortable with our life.
Does this sound familiar? I use to be like this. I use to think that as long as things were ok everything was good. But I've learned that that's not the way to live your life. Life is about enjoying each moment of everyday. Not about coasting until then next big thing. Life is about learning & growing, discovering our true purpose & understanding that the only way to live a more joyful life is by letting go of the past, instead of being trapped in it.
Sometimes the work is hard & it's painful to grow & move beyond the old ways. But ignoring the issues only holds you back from the true joy you can experience with an open heart, living each moment to the fullest.
I've learned that if you ignore the issues in your life they will continue to come up over & over again. I believe the reason for this is because until we learn what we have to learn, in our life, we can't rediscover our true connection with our soul & thus God/universe.
It is only with an open heart that we can discover the love we have inside. Stop coasting through life & begin living it in each moment.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day:"Move through the fog of your life, live in each moment & discover the joy life has to offer."
The truth is power can be good or bad but today I'm not talking about power to control or even the power to lead. Today I want to discuss the power each of us have inside. Do you realize how powerful you truly are? You have the ability to change everything in your life with just your thoughts & the pure connection to your soul.
To me the soul is our connection to everything. It is the truest & most natural connection that we have. The unfortunate thing is we lose this connection as we grow because we discover our EGO. I've written many times about the EGO so let's just say that no matter what we do, the EGO will never been satisfied. It may be satisfied for the moment but never very long at all. It always wants more & always wants the next best thing. It takes us over so much that many of us spend our entire life just trying to make it back to our true connection with God/universe, our soul.
The journey of life is to rediscover that true connection with our soul. Some of us can, at times, reach that connection & when we do miraculous things happen. Everything in our life works in perfect harmony & just flows when we are truly connected to our divine source, the soul.
We have the power to not only change ourselves but to change the world around us when we have this true connection. Everyone today is searching for the quick & easy answer to make their life better. The answer is not something we seek outside ourselves. Don't look for what you think will make your life better. Instead look inside. Believe in you. Find the quiet within, discover the true connection with God/universe that is your soul. Sit quietly reflect on your life. let go of the pain of the past. Find the peace & love you have inside. Allow that love to fill you up & overflow to the rest of the world. Discover the joy of life in perfect harmony. Take the time to discover your true power within.
Till Monday, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Bill
Quote of the day:"Discover the power you have within yourself. Connect to your soul & rediscover the harmony we all can live in."
I've always been a person who starts each day anew. I've been able to leave yesterday behind & look at each day as a new beginning. Sometimes the quiet of the morning is just amazing to me. It fills me up for the rest of the day. We, as many people in the U.S., have gotten a bunch of snow over the last few weeks. I would guess that we have at least 15-18 inches on the ground. It's been rather inconvenient getting around but as I sit in the morning looking out the front windows it's just so beautiful. The quiet of the neighborhood, the snow blanketing everything & the sun gently rising.
Yes these are moments I've learned to cherish. When I was younger I could never slow down, even when I saw beautiful things in my life I only stopped for a moment. As I've gotten older & gone through a true life changing transformation, I've learned to really enjoy each moment of the day & the mornings have always been my favorite.
Over the past many months (nearly 9) since I've been out of work I've truly enjoyed the time I take in the morning. I still wake every morning by 6 & for many months this summer & fall I would ride my bike between 25-30 miles in the state park near our house. My appreciation for the beauty of the morning has grown incredibly through this practice.
Start each day with a few moments to appreciate the beauty around you. Let go of all the noise from the day before. Be reborn in the glory that is your life. Open your heart to the beauty around you & fill yourself with love. By beginning each day with this simple practice you too can lead a more joyful life.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of day:"Find the beauty of each day by starting with a few moments to truly appreciate the world around you."
Ok, so I woke up this morning with Jack Nicholson's quote "You can't handle the truth" in my head & as I do every morning when there's a clear word or message in my mind; I give it some thought & try to decide whether there's something there to write about. I wondered how many of us can handle the truth about who were are?
Do you know who you truly are? Can you be honest with yourself? So many of us live in a fog when it comes to who we really are. We put on a face, or several faces, for the world but never truly explore who we really are.
In order to move forward to a more joyful life & be able to live in a true state of bliss we need to understand who we are & where we're coming from. This exploration into ourselves is something that most of us try to avoid at all costs. First off we avoid taking this journey simply because it takes time. Many of us use this excuse to justify not taking this journey. The second reason we avoid this journey into ourselves is because we're afraid of what we'll find.
Most of what we create in our mind isn't the truth. We allow our mind to run away with various thoughts. These thoughts sprinkled with our fears create a world that isn't real. We are so filled with the fear of what we might find inside that we never take the time to actually explore.
It doesn't matter what your deepest thoughts or desire are. The point is to discover who you are at your deepest level. Every thought & every pattern we create in our life can be changed but in order to live a life of more joy we need to know the starting point.
Once we understand who we are at our core we can begin to overcome the pain & fear that has held us back. Be honest with yourself, no one else needs to know the truth. Accept who you are, let go of the fear & become the person you've always wanted to be.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day:"Be honest with who you truly are, move beyond the fear & into a more joyful life."
With the Olympics on my mind I thought about striving for perfection. Do you try to be perfect? Do you expect others to be perfect? These are both very difficult questions. I use to be a person who always strove for perfection & expected everyone else in my life to be perfect. For me this came from my feeling of never being good enough in my father's eyes. To make up for that feeling I tried to be perfect in everything that I did & I would get very anger with the others in my life when they made mistakes. But I would, of course, get even more angry with myself when I made a mistake.
This desire to be perfect was a driving force for many of the early years of my life. It totally consumed me & although I was still a positive person the life I lead was not very fulfilling. In fact my life was very inconsistent even when I always made the "right" decisions. The problem is that we are all humans & as human beings we make mistakes. It is through this realization that no matter how hard I try, I will make mistakes that I began my transformation.
Accepting that we all make mistakes & forgiving ourselves & others for the mistakes we make can move us to a new understanding of who we are. Striving for perfection leads us to trying to take control of everything in our life instead of allowing our life to unfold in front of us. Control rarely works the way we think it should & we end up blaming ourselves for the failures we experience in our lives. The truth is that if we live our life in the moment & let go of the need for control amazing things can happen.
In the Olympics all the athletes strive to be perfect even though they know that perfection is nearly impossible. Striving to be better & striving to do the best you can in any circumstance can certainly help you grow as long as you understand that you will always make mistakes. As with the athletes who lose a 1/10th of a point for this or that understand that you don't have to be perfect to live a more joyful life.
Let go of the need for control. Trust in yourself & believe in the others in your life. Live in the moment & enjoy the beauty of your life as it unfolds before you.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day: "Understanding that none of us, as human beings, are perfect can help us learn to forgive ourselves as well as others for the mistakes that are made. Through forgiveness we can lead a more joyful life."
What's happened to respect in our society today? It seems that everyone is so caught up in their own objectives that they don't have time to be respectful of the people that come into their life. I've mentioned before that I believe everyone comes into our life for a reason. If we don't pay attention to them & respect what they have to say to us, we'll never learn the message that they have for us. For our lives to move forward in the harmony we are meant to live in, we need to let go of our own expectations in all of the relationships that enter our lives.
The rudeness & noise that so many people deal with others is all EGO based. We all have EGO's & we need to realize that to live our life in harmony we need to overcome the me, me, me of the EGO. Every person deserves respect regardless of who they are, what they look like or where they come from.
In our forgone days we had great respect for others in our life, especially the elderly. We would always take time to listen to the wisdom that our elders had for us. We may not have always agreed but we would listen & respect what they had to say. This knowledge passed down through the generations has served us well in moving the world to a better place.
In our current time most of us are so caught up in our own agenda that we don't have time to listen or respect the others in our life. The messages we need to hear to move our life forward & to be in a more joyful place will never be heard if we don't respect the people that come into our lives.
Love & respect go hand & hand for me. If we can all begin from a place of love we can learn to respect all the people of the world & grow in love even more. People that feel their thoughts aren't respected or loved rarely share the wisdom they have. This wisdom can be the key that we need to progress beyond where we are. We will never know the messages that God/universe is sending to us, unless we take the time to open our hearts & respect everyone who comes into our life.
When we respect others, others will respect us. Take the first step to a more joyful life. Find the harmony we are all meant to live in. Be the person I know you can be.
Till Monday, I hope you have a great weekend,
Hugs,
Bill
Quote of the day: "By respecting others we can find the messages God/universe is sending to us. These messages will change our life. Open your heart, love & respect everyone who enters your life & you will have a more joyful life."
Many of us think about doing a complete cleaning in the Spring. I personally look at cleaning in many different ways. Like many of you I try to do a complete cleaning in the spring & usually in the fall but I believe in the movement of things throughout your life. This movement of the stuff in our life can actually help us become more open & help our life, spirit or energy to move forward. Many of us get stuck in our old ways refusing to let go the things in our life that don't really work for us anymore. We become stubborn with everything in our lives & then we wonder why our life isn't moving forward the way we want it to.
The simple act of "cleaning out" can allow new things into your life. Sometimes this "cleaning out" isn't easy. I recently cleaned out my closet & donated many of my old clothes to Goodwill. Several of these old clothes had a very deep meaning to me & not unlike music when we see a piece of clothing it transports us back to the moment we acquired it or wore it. For me many of the clothes I let go of were from trips I've taken in my life or from shows I was in as an actor. Letting go of these "memories" can be difficult but the thing to remember is that the memories aren't in the "things". The "things" are just something to help us remember the memory & we hold onto it like it really matters. The truth is holding onto the past can keep us stuck in the past. Instead of holding onto a "thing" why not keep a book with the special memories. By letting go of "things" we can open our self up to new possibilities.
This of course if also true of thoughts & sometimes just the process of "cleaning out" things can actually change your thoughts & open you up to new possibilities. There's an amazing truth in the universe & that truth is that "Letting go of the past & allowing things to happen in the present moment will create more joy in your life then you can imagine." When you feel stuck try "cleaning out" something in your life & you may discover that by "cleaning out" you truly restore yourself to the beautiful person your are!
Till Tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day:"The simple act of cleaning out things in your life can open you up to new possibilities. Discover the possibilities today & lead a more joyful life!"
One of the greatest things we can do in life is give back to others. The "others" that we give back to can be anyone, it's the act of giving back that makes a difference. With the craziness of today's economic situation many people have stopped contributing to charitable organizations because they simply don't have the funds to give money to any charity. I truly understand this as I've had a tough time being out of work contributing to any worthwhile cause. I still try to give a little here & there because I believe so strongly in giving back.
Giving back doesn't have to be giving money. There are so many ways to give back to others in your life & none them have to be money if that's a difficult thing to give. The important thing is to make the effort to give & to give freely. I have been very active in trying to give anywhere I can. I have contributed to some non-profits with my business knowledge & writing skills. In fact I'm becoming more & more involved with different organizations to try & help out anyway I can. I have also started helping my friend with his business. He's been a great friend & I'm very happy to help him out. It doesn't matter who you give to. It only matters that you're giving. So what are you going to do today to give back?
The act of giving back to others will open you up to so many more possibilities. In addition this "giving back" should fill you up with love, compassion & understanding depending on where you're giving to. Find the joy of giving of yourself, help a friend,an organization or school. Give freely of yourself & watch the universe open up before you.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day:"The act of giving back to others is the greatest gift you can give. Open your heart & give freely & the universe will open up before you."
The Monday after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday! Ok maybe not but it's amazing how the morning begins on the day after the Super Bowl. To start with unlike many people throughout the country I'm a Colts fan so there's a certain malaise built in when your team loses, especially when they were the favorites. Truthfully I think we all have days when we are just in a state of malaise.
According to dictionary.com the definition of malaise is: "a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness, lethargy, or discomfort." I look at each day as a new beginning & when I feel a general malaise about things I try to reflect on where the feeling comes from. In general that's what I try to do about any feeling I feel. I believe strongly in the fact that we all need to pay attention to our feelings. I don't believe in denying your feelings but instead I believe in reflecting on why you're feeling the way you're feeling & then moving beyond that feeling back to a place of joy.
It's ok to have days that you need to recoup & pause. Nature itself has the winter & everything in life has a purpose. Sometimes we need the pause to refocus & move forward. Through understanding who we are & why we feel the way we feel. We can change our lives. It's through this recognition & acceptance of all of who we are that we can move beyond any malaise we feel.
Open your heart & accept the wonderful person you are even when the day isn't perfect. You can change your life today!! All it takes is moving to a place of love & acceptance.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day:"Understand what you feel in any moment, accept this feeling & move on to a place of love. Through love you will always find a more joyful life."
In my final tribute to the National Parks, we go to my favorite place to spend time east of the Mississippi. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I officially discovered this park when I was 4 years old. The only reason I know this is because we were traveling to Florida to see my Dad's grandparents & we had rented a pop-up trailer. My Dad got really sick, so we had to figure out how to set up trailer as we camped in the Smokies. So my mother two older sisters & me finally got the trailer set-up & we ended up enjoying our stay in Florida. Do I truly remember the Smokies,no not really but they do have film of us going up the Sky Lift in Gatlinburg, TN.
I returned to the Smokies on my own trip to Florida when I was 25. I traveled there several times between then & when I met Heidi. Once I met Heidi the Smokies became the place we always loved to go together. It was the first place Heidi & I "ran away" to when we first started going out & we have traveled back there at least a couple times a year since. It was 1997 when we first drove down to the beauty of the Smokies.
So why do I love the Smokies so much? It's a place to escape & reconnect with nature that's within a reasonable drive. We can get down to Gatlinburg from Indianapolis within 5.5 - 6 hours so it's ideal for a long weekend. Secondly, we've discovered a wonderful place to rent Mountain Chalet's from Chalet Village these Chalet's are amazing & keep us close enough to do things in Gatlinburg & the National Park but a world away from all the busyness of Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge. Most of these Chalets are on a mountain above Gatlinburg, the views can be incredible up there & it's very quiet instead of all the noise of the city.
Finally, it's the beauty of the Park; the mountains are lush & green in contrast to the peaks in the Grand Tetons. The park is easy to hike, there are many "quiet walkways" that allow you to get out of your car & enjoy the park & there are many wonderful hiking trails. We have enjoyed hiking & seeing all the beauty of this park as well as enjoying all the wildlife, including Black Bear, Deer & many kinds of birds.
To explore this park I suggest starting your visit at the Sugarlands Visitors Center (It's the closest to Gatlinburg) then head off to Clingmans Dome for a short hike to a wonderful ranger tower where the views are incredible. On your way to Clingmans Dome stop at Mortons overlook a beautiful vista on the side of the road. After traveling to these places I would suggest heading back towards Sugarlands & taking Little River Road towards Cades Cove. On the way to Cades Cove stop at Laurel Falls. Laurel Falls is a short hike to a beautiful waterfall. I would encourage everyone to see these falls as the trails are all improved & not hard to walk the 1.3 miles to the falls & enjoy his view (especially in the spring as the falls are full of water). Continue to Cades Cove a beautiful area that includes a motor route to drive through the countryside. Cades Cove is the best place in the park to see wildlife on a regular basis. The loop can get very busy so go early & be prepared for a couple of hours to complete the loop.
For me the Smokies is like a second home. I can be stressed in my life & drive 6 hours to place of quiet that reaches into my soul. I would go more often if I could, I feel the true connection to the earth whenever go there. The beauty of the mountains the glory of the waterfalls & the wonder of the wildlife call me back often & I am forever grateful to have this wondrous place so close to my home. I believe in the ads for Gatlinburg they point out that they are within a days drive of 60% or 70% of the population of our great country.
Take time to explore the beauty of the National Parks rediscover who you are through this great tribute to the natural world. As John Muir said "I'm going out to go within."
Thanks for letting me share my inspiration with you. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Go Colts!!!
Till Monday,
Bill
Quote of the day: "Amongst the fog & the clouds lives a special place in my heart. No matter where I go in my life, I know I can always return to the Smokies, even if it's just in my mind!"
P.S. The picture is one of the many I've taken in the Smokies & the picture on my blog is also a picture I took from the Smokies
I debated greatly on which park to include in today's blog. I knew right away the park I wanted to finish with tomorrow. But I've had the pleasure of seeing many national parks, so deciding on the top 4 that I've actually spent time in. Wasn't hard, overall because 3 of them came to me right away.The problem came in with choosing the final entry I've probably been to 10 National Parks & as I mention yesterday each of these park are a jewel & have something wonderful to offer any visitor. After much debate (with myself) I decided on Grand Tetons National Park. The majesty of the mountains always draws me to this park.
Grand Tetons National Park is located an easy hour to hour & half drive south of Yellowstone National Park via state highway 89. State highway 89 South from Yellowstone is not open during the winter (Nov.-Mid May) so the only way to access the park in the winter is driving North from Jackson Wyoming.
The most vivid memory I have of this park is the beauty of the mountains as I walked on the trail around Jenny Lake. The crystal clear water of Jenny Lake was the perfect forefront for the amazing peaks of the Teton Mountain range. The wonderful thing about this hike is you can walk all the way around the southern half of the lake & when you get to the other side you're able to take a boat back to where you begin. I hiked this trail to Inspiration Point & the view was simply breathtaking.
The wildlife viewing in this park is also very good (being in the same general area of Yellowstone) & as I returned down the trail from Inspiration Point I ran into a large male Elk. I've mentioned before in this blog that I've always had a connection with animals. I've never understood exactly why or what it is that I have but this event was a great example of that connection. As I returned from Inspiration Point, as I mentioned, I ran into a male Elk. I was within 3-5 feet of this beautiful animal, he looked at me & I told him how beautiful he was & that was just going to sit here & watch him until he wanted to leave. That is what I did, I sat down where I was standing (3-5 feet) from this beautiful animal. I sat there for at least 10 minutes he looked at me & I looked at him. He would occasionally eat some of the grass between us but overall we just stayed there looking at one another. The situation only changed when more people came down from Inspiration Point, as the crowd began to gather (probably in the 10-15 minute time frame, the crowd became approximately 10 people) he looked me then looked at the others & turned & left. It was an amazing encounter for me, something I will forget in my life.
That's how close you can get to the wildlife in some of the National Parks, it's an amazing experience to see wildlife in their own natural setting. There is no place in this country to experience wildlife more vividly then our National park system. Reconnect with the land take a walk in nature & if you're lucky enough to live near a National Park take time to enjoy the beauty of the park near you.
Till Tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day:"In core of every human is a connection to the land that goes back to our beginning, rediscover this connection & find the deep & lasting joy inside yourself."
The awe & wonderment that fills you when you walk out to the edge of the Grand Canyon is indescribable. The beauty of the canyon walls with their variety of colors & the sheer magnitude of the size of the canyon is unbelievable. Pictures & video no matter good they are can never do justice to this amazing site. It truly is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. The time that I spent at this magnificent park is the closest I've ever felt to being truly connected to God/universe. A visit to Grand Canyon National Park will change your life forever if you allow it to.
So you're probably asking yourself, "If you love the Grand Canyon so much why wasn't it #1?" The answer to that is easy for me, Yellowstone offers so much diversity that it will always be my first choice. The difference between these parks is that simple to me. You can go to the Grand Canyon & be blown away or go to Yellowstone & experience everything from it's own Grand Canyon to geysers & paint pots, etc. One of the joys of my life is that I've been able to discover many different National Parks, they are all beautiful in their own way & they are also very different, so my choices may not be yours but the important thing to remember is to get out to the parks & reconnect with nature & that ancient connection to the land.
When visiting the Grand Canyon I strongly suggest staying at the Grand Canyon Village. There are several options available for accommodations there but it's the closest place to enjoy all the park has to offer. Several other cities that surround the Park are actually a long drive to get into the park & to the south rim. Most of the activities that take place are on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The south rim is where you can take the mule ride down the canyon or check out many different vistas. I enjoyed walking the rim trail where every turn is another amazing site.
The most amazing thing about the Grand Canyon is the change in light, either by the sun or the clouds, each of these changes in light reveals new colors & definition & sometimes these changes are very dramatic. Take time to discover this park & in turn take time to discover yourself.
I love to sit on the edge of the canyon & just take in the beauty around me. This beauty will touch your soul deeper then anything I've ever known & no matter how long you stay there, it will never feel like enough. When you feel you need to rediscover who you truly are, journey to the Grand Canyon & experience the joy of this beautiful place.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day:"The beauty of the Grand Canyon has to be experienced. Take in the beauty & rediscover yourself in the process."
Over the weekend Heidi & I began to watch the "National Park" series by Ken Burns. I'm a big advocate of the national park system & I've spent time in several of the national parks. I'm hoping to feature one of my favorites everyday & also tie in some thoughts about why nature is so important & can lead us to a more joyful life. I've become inspired again after watching this series (we've only watched the first two) & feel the need to share my inspiration. I hope you'll all enjoy this journey & I urge each of you to discover a national park near you.
To begin this week I start with my favorite national park: Yellowstone!! The picture above is one that I took from the lower falls looking out through the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This picture is hanging in our living room & I was fortunate to finish in the top 10 of a photo contest with this picture. Have you ever been inspired by a picture? This picture inspires me for a couple of reasons; First, I am able to transport myself back to the moment I took this picture & remember the beauty all around me. Second, this picture is a journey through life for me. I made sure to include the rainbow (I had to hang over a railing to get it in the picture) because to me a rainbow always signifies hope. We all need a little hope to get us through life. The Yellowstone river is the journey of our life, a winding path that disappears into the distance. There are times in our life that if we would just let go & with the flow we would be carried onto a better life. Unfortunately many of us try to swim up river & battle our way through life. Then finally, we have the blue sky, something always to be able to look up to with comfort.
Yellowstone is my favorite national park because of it's diversity. You have the beauty of many water falls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the geysers & paint pots, the beautiful mountains & a huge lake. Along with all this diversity it's one of the best parks to see wildlife. The last time I was there we picked up a laminated wildlife & bird card & tracked all the varieties of animals we saw within the week. We were able to see most of the animals & birds that we on this card including: Buffalo, Elk, Moose, Grizzly Bear, Osprey & hawks. The beauty of the park comes alive to you much more if you take the time to get out of your car & hike some of the many trials the park has to offer. A park ranger once told me that 98% of the visitors to Yellowstone never go beyond their cars & the "tourist" spots. To me being able to get off the beaten path & hike with my two younger girls was amazing.
We began the week with the longest & toughest hike, hiking nearly 6 miles (round trip) to the top of Mount Washburn the hike takes you through many different types of scenery & eventually through several switchbacks to the top of Mount Washburn which is more then 10,200 feet above sea level. On this hike you go up a total of 1,500 feet from the beginning to the end. The beauty of the Yellowstone valley from this peak is amazing & I would encourage all of you to check it out if you go.
Yellowstone is huge, there is a loop road that covers most of the park. On this loop road there's a road that splits it approximately through the center. With stopping to enjoy the views & the animals you'll be lucky to drive one half of this loop in a day. My suggestion is to take as much time as you can. I enjoy staying in the "canyon" area because it gives you easy access to the other parts of the park. There are both camping & lodging options in the "canyon" section of the park.
The beauty of nature is something we all need to reconnect with. It is only through this true connection that we can rediscover who we really are. There is a part of us that remembers our connection to the land & it's in rediscovering this connection that we can begin our journey to a more joyful life.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day: "The beauty of Yellowstone is in it's diversity. Take time to discover this jewel of the national parks!"
