The Sound of Thunder

Yes, the sound of thunder. To me I've always been connected with lightning & thunder but for this blog I'm talking about what others may call AHA moments. To me true AHA moments don't happen often in our life. I'm talking about the big moments that can be life changing. The moments that as soon as they occur you know they're big. The moments that we can't escape. If we're lucky, I believe we may have a few of these big moments in our life & I believe we need to embrace them for what they are. They certainly can be scary but I believe they always happen for a reason.

I've talked before about how so many of us walk through life in a malaise. Not really paying attention to our life & just coasting through. We think that as long as nothing happens that's too bad or that takes us out of our comfort zone, life is good. I believe these AHA moments happen to take us out of this malaise & to bring us to a better life.

I've had three of these moments in my life. The first was when I was 15 years old & I was struck by lightning...yes actually struck. I was on a golf course with my bother-in-law (my oldest sisters husband). There was a pop up shower & my bother-in-law said let's just wait it out under this tree. The next thing I remember was falling in slow motion. I then woke up with a crowd of people around me saying "He's dead, he's dead!". Luckily, I wasn't but the doctor who treated me told me that the amount of electricity that went through my body would have killed at least 90% of the people that were hit by it. That statement & surviving this accident changed my life.

Off topic for a minute because everyone asks how it felt & the best I can do to describe it is being hit by a sledgehammer in every muscle in your body at exactly the same time. I was thrown 6-8 feet in the air & about 25-30feet across. I had a burn mark on my left shoulder where it entered & a burn mark with singed hair on my right leg where it left.

The next AHA moment I had in my life was the death of my father. His death had a profound impact on my life. I was surprised & taken back by this because he & I didn't see eye to eye much in my life. His death was the next major step in my transition to a better life. I started my own journey to joy many years before his death but his death pushed me towards more change & the self reflection I need to move onward.

The final AHA moment in my life was being laid-off last June. This moment was filled with the fear of what would happen. The true fear of the unknown. But, instead of allowing the fear to take me over I discovered the joy of writing. I began this blog only a few weeks after being laid-off & I've discovered that the process of writing has given me the definition I've needed to codify my belief's & to help others.

These true defining moments don't happen often but they do happen for a reason. Sometimes they can be painful because we need to change the way we live our lives & sometimes they can just be enlightening. Let go of the fear associated with these moments & know that they're here to help you grow & learn. Enjoy every moment even these AHA moments!!!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "When a defining moment happens in your life, embrace the shift that it brings & know that through this moment you will grow into a better person."

Giving & Receiving

The act of giving to others is wonderful step to opening ourselves up to receiving gifts from the universe. For everything that we give out into the universe will return. This is the way the universe works. I've written before about the act of giving & the power it has to change your life but today I want to discuss the other side "receiving". How are you at receiving gifts from others?

One of the reasons giving is so satisfying is that it does actually fill the EGO. We've talked many times about how difficult it is to satisfy the EGO & giving doesn't satisfy it for long but it is one of the few acts that will satisfy it temporarily. So giving makes us feel good on several levels but receiving actually is against the EGO because we have to acquiesce to receive something.

I found in my own life that receiving any gift is difficult for me. I wrote early on that it took me many years to feel I was "good enough" for anything in my life because of the issues I had with my Dad. It is this deep seated fear of not being good enough that keeps us from being able to accept gifts graciously & this fear is connected to the EGO. The EGO is not happy when it's not in control & by accepting a gift it is no longer in control of the situation. This makes the EGO very uncomfortable & thus we feel uncomfortable.

So how do we move beyond this uncomfortable feeling of receiving? The answer is love!! In accepting a gift from another person we are actually accepting their love for us. If we are able to move from the uneasiness of the EGO into a place of love, the act of receiving becomes much easier. Realize that whatever has been given isn't the important thing. It's only the EGO that wants to judge & label things. The important thing is feeling the love of the person giving. Let that love fill you up, then you can continue to show love to the rest of the world.

Love is the strongest emotion we all share. It always needs to begin from within us & flow outward to the world. But, we also need to feel the love around us & the act of receiving gifts is one of the best ways. Open your heart to love & accept the gifts you are given with the love they are intended.

Giving & receiving are two very separate acts both can continue the flow of love in the world. Open your heart & be willing to accept gifts with the same love that you give gifts.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Receive all the gifts you are given from a place of love & elevate your life to a more joyful place."

Thinking through change

I've written a lot about change because I believe in it very strongly & the truth is change will happen with or without you. Today I thought we'd discuss the process that most of us go through before we accept "the change" as part of our life.

For most of us the first reaction to change is fear. The biggest fear we deal with in our life & especially with change is the fear of the unknown. This fear is based around what we create in our mind & not what will actually happen to us. In fact most of the time what we create in our mind is much worse then anything we ever actually go through. Why is this? Mostly because of the EGO, the EGO doesn't like change the EGO likes things the way they are because it feels it can control things easier if they are the same.

The way to move beyond the fear of the unknown is to stay in the present. Deal with what's actually happening & not what you think will happen. Understand that the first thoughts & the loudest thoughts are always the EGO.

The next step in the process of change is to take action. What I mean by this is to do whatever the change is, if you want to start an exercise program the action is to start. Once you take action on a change whether it be a change in thought or an actual action like the exercise program you will begin the shift that's needed to accept the change. There will still be resistance from the EGO but because you've taken action the resistance will be less. Part of this "action" step is also acceptance. If you fight the change it will never be as easy as when you accept it & move forward.

The final step is to make the change a regular part of your life. What I mean by this is to make the change a new habit. Until you're able to do this you will always fall back to your old ways. There's a natural excitement to anything we perceive as positive change but what happens is after that initial excitement we fall back to our old patterns & we haven't really changed at all. By making the change a new habit it becomes much more likely that the change will stay. Like anything else in life the more you "practice" something the better you get at it. Change is no different, the more you "practice" the change the easier it will be to make it apart of your life.

Understand the process of accepting change in your life. Remember that you can change anything if you want to. By changing your thoughts you will change your life but the changes you want have to be for you. If you're trying to change for someone else you'll face much more resistance because you have to want the change in your life. Old patterns take practice to move beyond & the EGO is always a stumbling block but true change can happen if you truly want to change.

Be the change you want to see in the world & you're new life will begin to unfold in front of you. Stay in the present, let go of the EGO & practice the change until it becomes who you are!!

Till tomorrow,


Bill

Quote of the day:"The change you want in your life is possible. Believe in yourself & commit to the change you want to achieve!!"

Moving Beyond Praise

Let's face it we all like to be praised for what we do. Whether it be for our job, our athletics or our family life we all love to be praised. It makes us feel good. It makes us feel fulfilled. It can make all the hard work we've done worth while. I believe strongly in giving people praise in my life. I thank them for their efforts & try to find at least a few things I can specifically praise them for. But should we get caught up with the praise in our life?

The truth is, praise feels so good because it fulfills our EGO. The EGO needs praise to feel good. In fact if the EGO doesn't hear praise it can sometimes create it itself. As with all things to do with the EGO the challenge is to move beyond the feeling of receiving praise. I've always believed that we should acknowledge any feeling we have & if it's a good feeling enjoy it. Once we acknowledge the feeling we should always try to move beyond it to a higher level. This higher level is always our connection to our true self (soul) & by moving through the acknowledgement to our soul we can discover bliss. Bliss is the highest level of joy we can discover in our life. It is the feeling we can strive to obtain because once we discover true bliss it's easy to return to that state.

When we are in bliss we are unaffected by the negative emotions that come into our life. We are able to remain in a state of true joy. In some religions bliss is consider one of the highest states of being & only the truly enlighten can achieve it. I believe very state of being is attainable. I think the challenge for most of us is to sustain the higher states of being for extended periods of time. With work we can all discover bliss & begin to truly enjoy the life God/universe has planned for us.

Accept & appreciate the praise you receive in your life. Move beyond the praise & discover the bliss we are intended to know. Each one of us has the power to become whatever we want to be. Let go of the EGO & open your heart to love. Discover your true self & help change the world!!

Till Monday, have a great weekend,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Move beyond the praise in your life & discover the true state of bliss!"

When Life throws you a curveball

I've always loved baseball. I played from the time I was very young & eventually got pretty good at the game. Once I was too old to play "league" baseball I moved on to softball & enjoyed that for many years, in fact I still play on occasion. The one skill I was always the best at in baseball was hitting. At any level I played I could always hit. So I thought I'd share this analogy about how you react when life throws you a curveball. Do you tense up? Do you go on with your original plan regardless? Or do you adjust to the curveball life sends you?

Sometimes in life it's difficult to let go of the plan you have. The plan for the day or the plan for your life. Plan's are good, they give us a direction & something to strive for but if we hold them to tightly we'll be swinging & missing a lot. When you are a good hitter in baseball & a pitcher throws you a curveball there are several steps to go through to hit the ball. I believe these actions can be translated into working your way through a curveball in life. Remember that a curveball doesn't have to be a bad thing it's just not what you're expecting.

1. Relax - In baseball if you're holding the bat to tightly or if you're to tense. You'll rarely get a hit, the secret is to relax. In life it's the same thing, if we go through life worried or nervous or fearful we can never live the life we want to live. Relax & enjoy the moment!!

2. Pick up the spin on the ball - The next step to hitting a curveball is to pay close attention to the ball coming out of the pitchers hand. If you're truly focused you can pickup the spin on the baseball & recognize that it's a curveball. In life if we pay attention to the smallest details in our life we open our mind to the bigger things. This doesn't mean to become obsessive about the little things. It means to pay attention. God/universe will always send you signs to help you through whatever you're dealing with.

3. Slow down - The mechanics of a baseball swing is all timing. You have to be ready to swing at a fastball or you'll never hit one. So to hit a curve you need to slow down your swing & stay balanced. In life slowing down is always a good thing. In this fast paced world we rarely take time to slow down & just "be". Take time each day to slow down & reconnect with your true self (soul) to better keep yourself in balance.

4. Swing through the ball - In baseball this means striding forward & watching the ball hit the bat. Often people open up their stance when thrown a curveball & pull their head out of the hitting zone. If you do this it's only through luck that you'll ever get a hit. In life sometimes we need to move forward with the confidence that were moving in the right direction. If we follow the other tips I mentioned we'll be locked in & balanced so the odds of making an impact in our life is really good.

Don't worry when life throws you a curveball, react to what what's happening & find time to reconnect with your true self. Curveballs can happen at anytime in your life & rather then plowing through with your original plan it's better relax & react to the curveball. By allowing God/universe to send us the messages we need to hear, even when they're curveballs, we will lead a more joyful life!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"When life throws you a curveball, slowdown & pay attention to it. By opening yourself up to the messages God/universe sends you, you will live a more joyful life!!"

Love in the workplace

(no it's not what you think)





Let's face it we spend a lot of time at our jobs. For some of us we spend more time at work then anywhere else in our waking hours. So how do we change the relationships we have with the people we work with?

As many of you know I believe love is the answer to everything in our life. If we can learn to love ourselves first & allow that love to flow outward to the rest of the world, amazing things can happen. But can we truly love the people we work with? The answer is a resounding YES!!

Changing any relationship in your life is never easy. We get entrenched in the pattern we've established in our relationships & because we"know" the other person so well we're quick to label them. This labeling in fact will only create more of the same behavior. What we put out we will get back!! & this is especially true in relationships.

Things get even more complicated with our work relationships. There is so much EGO involved in our workplace that moving beyond the EGO becomes increasingly difficult. We compete with others for recognition, promotions & bonuses. This competition is every much EGO based. So how do we move beyond the EGO & into a place of love?

It all begins with you, if you change the way you interact with the people you work with the relationships will begin to change. Remember that everyone in your work environment is trying the best they can. This "trying" may not be up to your standards but they are trying. I know there is always a few people who try to coast through life doing as little as possible but unless we're their boss we're not here to judge them. Let go of the need to judge others, Let go of the need to always be right & your relationships will improve.

If we treat people with love & compassion we will improve every relationship in our life including our relationship with the people we work with. Take time to center yourself in love & let go of your past patterns with everyone you work with. By changing the relationships in your life & spreading more love, your world will become a more joyful place.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Let go of the old patterns you've created in your work relationships. Open your heart to love & compassion & discover more joy in your life."

Puzzles

I've always loved puzzles, from the earliest time I can remember I always loved solving them. Throughout my work career I've been able to continue figuring out ways to make things happen. Several of my ex-bosses would be amazed at the way I get from point A to B. I don't think the same logical way that everyone else thinks. I can, but normally I don't because the "normal" solutions have already been tried & not gotten the results that were needed. This is especially true with computer issues, if I'm allowed to "play" I can usually figure out a way to make something work.

That hasn't been the case for the last week. My desktop computer had some major issues & after a week of trying to "solve" them I finally gave up. What does this have to do with this blog? Everything!! We all face puzzles in our life & how we deal with them can set the tone for the rest of our life. Don't allow yourself to let the puzzle turn you negative. I worked very hard to try & figure out what was going on the past week & although I got frustrated in not being able to figure it out, I never got upset. What I did was try & learn from what was going on.

This is my approach to everything that's a challenge or a puzzle in my life. Learn from what's going on in my life. The next step for me is to let go of the puzzle & allow the answer to come to me. Many times in my life I would only solve a difficult situation by getting away from it. I might be doing something completely different & the answer to the puzzle will come to me. This is the way God/universe works. The harder we try to get a solution to the puzzle the more difficult it can be to find that solution. But, if we allow ourselves to let go of the need to solve the solution, God/universe will send us the answer at the most unique times. It's in this detachment that everything God/universe has for us will be realized.

Detachment is one of the most difficult lessons any of us can learn. I have learned this the hard way at times in my life. I have "made" things happen that later didn't turn out the way I thought they should & I've learned that if I detach from the results the answer that comes is always better.

Allow yourself the time to let go of the need for the solution to the puzzle in your life. Let God/universe assist you by opening your heart & truly listening. Every puzzle has a solution & how we decide to discover that solution shapes the rest of our life. Don't be afraid to ask God/universe for help with the puzzles in your life. Then detach from the results & the answer will appear. Enjoy life through detachment & find the joy you've been looking for.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "We all face "puzzles" in our life. Detach from the solution & allow God/universe to help & you will discover a more joyful life!!"

Earth Day

I realize it's not an original idea to write about Earth Day today but I have such a deep & meaningful connection with the earth that I feel compelled to do it anyway. I hope you'll indulge me & enjoy a look back & forward at Earth day.

Earth day began 40 years ago (1970)& the world has come along ways since the first earth day. Overall air pollution is way down & lead in the air is nearly non-existent. All these improvements have come about because of the people that support making the planet a better place. People like you & me. Without the grass roots support the changes in the past 40 years would have never happened.

Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. In the past 40 years carbon dioxide has increased in the air to the point that the global average temperature has increased by 1 degree Fahrenheit. I know this doesn't sound like a huge increase but actually it is a sign that the Earth is warming up.

I personally believe that the Earth is a living planet that will do what it needs to do to survive. The extremes we've seen in weather & natural disasters is the Earth's way of trying to self correct, to bring the planet back to it's natural cycles. The earth will survive in spite of us but if we continue the way were going we won't be able to live here anymore.

All is not lost. Each of us can make a difference & together we can save the planet. Start by recycling everything you can, it's a small step but it will help. Plant a tree. Volunteer with a group that cleans up city, state or national parks. Talk to your legislators have the restore the national park budget to what it should be so we don't lose these precious gems. Also push them for stronger clean air laws & have them move forward with the climate change initiatives.

Take time to reconnect with the earth. This connection will help revive your soul & change the environment we live in. I believe in the human spirit & I know that there is nothing we can't do if we work together. Let's make a pledge to help the earth not just on Earth day but everyday of the year.

I hope you have a great weekend, till Monday,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Make Earth day everyday of the year & help us save the planet."

Birds

The beautiful songs of the spring birds draw me into a wonderful place that I love to journey to. I listen to each of their individual songs & enjoy being back in nature. Yes, I've been back riding my bike. Many of you know that last summer & fall I started riding my bike. Two weeks ago I began riding again in the state park near our house. I've truly enjoyed listening to the birds every morning & I am often reminded of this quote: “Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” by Henry Van Dyke

Do you worry about what others think of you or are you willing to sing your song anyway? We talked before about living in a state of fear but is that fear holding you back from what you truly want to do? Can you be the bird & sing your song anyway? We worry too much about what others think in our life. Some of us even change our life based on what others think. The journey to living a life of joy always begins within & if there's a song within you that needs to be sung don't let anyone stop you from singing it.

We all need others in our life. We are in fact social creatures & God/universe uses others to show us messages that we need to learn. But, we shouldn't live our life to please another person. We should take the time to discover our true voice & sing our song to the world.

Imagine a world where we never heard a bird singing, I don't want to know that world. I love to listen to the birds. We each have a beautiful song within us. Believe in your talents & let them shine to the world. Today is the day to begin to sing your song. I believe in you & I look forward to hearing your song.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Enjoy the beauty of the birds song & listen to your soul to discover your own song. Sing to the world & discover true joy."

Time

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock why do we worry so much about time? We are consumed with the passage of every second, every minute, every hour & every day. We try to organize our lives around time. We stress ourselves out trying to stay on time.

It wasn't always this way. When clocks first started appearing in Europe in the 13th century many of them didn't even have hands. They were just bell-towers to call people to church. Then hands were added to the clocks but they still weren't very important in our society. Most towns only had one clock in the center of town to let people know what time it was.

Overall, people weren't concerned about time, they went about their daily lives without being concerned what time it was. They judged their days by the sun & appointments or meetings were set on a loose schedule. It wasn't really until the invention of the wristwatch in the early 1900's that time began to take over our lives.

So what's my point about all this? Make time in your day to just "be". Stop letting the clock rule your day. I understand that we have to be on-time for work or for appointments but stop stressing yourself out about every second of everyday. Allow yourself time with no expectation of results. Let yourself get lost in something you do with no concern about time. It's always amazing to me how quickly time can pass when we are totally into what we're doing. Allow yourself time to enjoy.

Don't allow the clock to rule your life. Take control by letting go of the constant need to have everything in life scheduled. Lose yourself in the present moment & discover the joy you've been missing in your life.

Till tomorrow,

Bill


Quote of the day:"Let go of the need to schedule every moment of your life & discover the joy in just being."

Uncertainty

One of toughest things to deal with in our life is uncertainty. Uncertainty happens to all of us but how we deal with it in our daily life defines our path forward to a better life. I personally have had a lot of uncertainty in my life since being laid off nearly 11 months ago. Like everyone else I battle with uncertainty from time to time. But I've found different ways to deal with the occasional overwhelming feeling of uncertainty in my life.

I've discussed that change is part of our life whether we want it to be or not & many times uncertainty proceeds the change we're going to see. So how do you deal with uncertainty in your life. Do you become a turtle & hide? Do you just coast until things get clearer? Or do you embrace the uncertainty & open yourself up to the coming change?

In my life I've embraced change. I try to always look forward to new challenges in my life & I am willing to allow things to happen in my life without getting swept away into negative emotions. Uncertainty can make us very nervous & this nervousness can lead us down the path of negative emotions. So how do you work through the nervousness of uncertainty? For me, I follow the same path I do for most things in my life. I go within. I accept the uncertainty & ask for signs to help me find the path through the uncertainty.

I believe everything begins from within & one of the struggles that many of us have, is that we are always looking outside for the answers in our lives. If we take the time to know ourselves & set our intentions for the things we want in life. God/universe will always send us signs to help us along our path. When things are uncertain we need to be more open then ever to the signs that appear in our lives. Many of us struggle with this process because we don't see the signs appear in our lives. Usually when you've tried setting intentions to move yourself on in your life & you haven't seen any results. It's because you haven't detached from the results of your intentions.

Detachment can be the single hardest lesson that we all need to learn. (I wrote a blog on it a while ago take a look back Oct 2009) & many times when things aren't happening in our life the way we intended them to work it's because we are attached to the results. The easiest way to highlight this, without going into detail about detachment, is to say that when we're attached to the results it's like screaming at God/universe for the answer. When we detach from the results we are simply requesting an outcome & allowing God/universe to work with us to create the outcome.

Uncertainty can be a difficult time to get through but by opening yourself up & allowing God/universe to work with you, anything is possible. Embrace the change you see in your life be a Co-creator with God/universe & create the life you've always dreamed of.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Embrace uncertainty when it appears in your life. Open yourself up to the signs God/universe is showing & you'll create a more joyful life!"

Guilt

One of the deepest negative emotions we have is Guilt. Guilt has been used to manipulate people for thousands of years. Guilt is one of the main differences between us & other animals on our planet. Guilt is ingrained in our culture & in most of the major religions in the world. It can be one of the most difficult negative emotions to move beyond.

So, have you ever felt guilt? Do you know how to move beyond it? The basis of guilt is the fact that we are extremely hard on ourselves & the way to move beyond is to forgive yourself. We all make mistakes & no matter what mistake we make in our life, the way to move past the mistake is forgiveness. I know this sounds easy & to some extent it is. The hard part is to actually forgive yourself.

Remember that whatever happens in your life, once it's done it's in the past & can't be changed. We all battle with our past & the only way to move beyond the past is to forgive yourself or the others that have done you wrong. So, how do we forgive ourselves? For me, the first step is to realize that I am an imperfect being. I make mistakes, it's part of being human. Then I accept responsibility for the mistake I made. What does that mean? Correcting the mistake as best as I can. Asking for forgiveness from the other people that were involved in my mistake or admitting that I was the one that did something.

The next step for me is to allow myself the time to feel remorse for what I did. Once I move beyond that step, I forgive myself & I ask God/universe to forgive me as well. We live in a beautiful world & one of the most amazing things about it is that if we are truly sorry for our mistake we will always be forgiven. Once I forgive myself I let go of the guilt.

I live each day as a new beginning. This way I'm always in the present moment. Part of this process to let go of the past & part of letting go of the past is releasing guilt & forgiving myself. You are beautiful person but you'll never be perfect. Understand your faults, forgive yourself & move on to a more joyful life!

Have a great weekend,

Till Monday,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Guilt is one of the deepest negative emotions. Forgive yourself & let go of the guilt & you will discover a more joyful life!"

Releasing Anger

I've learned in my life to let go of anger. Sometimes it can be difficult especially when life sends you some challenging situations. I had one of those challenging situations yesterday & it showed me how far I've been able to come in my life.

Many of you know that over the past couple of months I've been helping my friend out with his business. He's a great guy & I'm happy to help him while I'm looking for work. As I usually do I went up to his place yesterday, the day went well & I got everything caught up for him with his books. A few minutes before I was ready to go I hear an employee of his calling my name, saying come quickly. This employee tells me that my truck just got run into from a truck hauling a doublewide trailer. My truck was just parked on the street in a legal parking spot.

I went out & checked the damage. It wasn't too bad but I haven't been in an accident in a long time. I could of gotten really upset when the truck driver came back to talk to me about it. But I chose to take the high road. I made a decision that even though he crushed part of my truck it was still drivable & I was certain it would be fixed.

The policeman who came within a few minutes, even commented to me; "You're taking this really well". I said; "Things happen, I'm sure he didn't mean to hit my truck." The policeman then said to the truck driver; "How are you doing?" & the truck driver responded "I was better before this". I finished the exchange by saying to the truck driver; "Don't worry about it, things happen & it's not a big deal." He actually smiled at me.

So what's point of this story? The point is we always have choices in our life regardless of the situation. We can choose to get angry & be consumed by the negative emotions that surround us or we can choose to find peace in the situation & help others to get through it. In the past I wouldn't have always chosen to take the high road, as I've written before I use to have a very bad temper. But through lots of self work I've learned to move beyond the anger & take the high road in life. You can do it too!! Not just with anger but with any negative emotion. You can learn to let it go & move back to a place of peace & love.

Life is too short to allow negative emotions to take over your life. Allow yourself to feel what you're feeling & then let that emotion go & return to love. No matter how angry you get now at the littlest things, you can move beyond to a better place!! I believe in you & I know the process works because I've done it myself. Let go of the anger & discover more joy!!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"By letting go of anger & moving back to a place of peace & love, you will discover more joy in every moment of your life."