In Nature find Life!

Do you try to get back to nature?  Or do you avoid the outdoors?  I personally find great solace in nature and I believe that regardless of whether you spend time outdoors or not, nature has many lessons for us to learn. 

Life mirrors nature whether we want to believe or not.  Everything in nature has its time and place, in life it is the same way.  We try so very hard to hold onto our accomplishments and success….our “summer”.  We believe life is only about what we can accomplish, how we can find our next success.  But, I believe that through the winter (down times) we can find the strength to grow again and flourish even better than trying to hold onto something that had its time already.

Growth in life is the only path to enlightenment and if a person feels that there is no more room to grow because they have everything they want, they are not being honest with themselves. Everyone has something that they are missing in their life, sometimes this void can be a great motivator to find your next success. But, if we turn to nature and discover the natural rhymes of our life we will find everything much easier to move forward.  By truly listening to our body and feeling when it is time to move to the next season in our lives we give ourselves a chance to grow even greater than we were before.

Nature shows us that with every winter there is always another spring and with every summer there is a fall to reap the harvest.  The mightiest oak would never grow as tall or strong if all it had was summer to enjoy, it would instead never be prepared for the cold of winter and would fade away when winter came.

Our lives are about possibilities and every day we open a new chapter.  Do not fear the winter time in your life because through our trials we grow, like the oak, to be stronger than we were before.  Listening to nature will always bring you back to who you truly are, as with nature everything and everyone is connected.  Our journey in life is to know this and by knowing it to affect the world in a positive way.  Are you up for the challenge?

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the Day: “Listen to nature and find your true place; for everything and everyone has its mission, once you discover yours your life will change.”

Who am I to judge?

In this fast paced world today; where we need to make decisions in split seconds, we’ve become a society filled with judgement of others.  Why is this?  I’m not 100% sure.  I only know that we have no place to judge another person.  People come into our lives for a reason and sometimes that reason is to push us to change.  It can be very uncomfortable to be around people that feel like they are attacking you and challenging you on every front.  But often these people are sent to us by God/universe only to help us move into a better place.  We all get far too comfortable in our lives and often we need something or someone to move us out of our malaise, to move us forward in our lives.

Do you want to be judged?  I think the answer for many us of is a resounding NO!  Then why should we judge others?  The answer is simple when we get to the true core of the issue.  We judge others because it makes us feel better if we can put someone into a category that we feel comfortable with.  “Oh, that person is just angry at the world” and because of that I don’t have to pay attention to them.

Now there are always exceptions, if you feel threatened it’s always best to err on the side of caution.  But, most of the people that come into our lives aren’t here to threaten us, they are just here to show us a different way.  I am a firm believer that everyone is in our life to teach us something or we’re in their life to teach them something.  When we open our heart and truly listen to the people in our lives we can hear what we need to hear.  All too often though our ego gets in the way and muddles the true message.  The ego wants to be right, the ego wants to put this person into a place that we feel comfortable with, and ego wants to win!

Life isn’t about winning in every moment, life is about finding joy in every moment and opening our heart to the people that come into our lives.  You never know how important the next person you meet could be in your life & the opportunity that that person gives you can be lost if you act from the ego and judge, categorize them and dismiss them.

So who am I to judge?  I have no right to judge anyone, I accept the good and the bad of everyone that enters my life.  I am here to listen and to learn.  The only way I’ve been able to move forward in my life is to learn from my mistakes, to learn from my success and to learn from the people that come into my life.  I hope you’ll open your heart and truly listen to everyone that comes into your life.  I believe if you do, you will find more joy in each and every day!

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “By judging others we diminish the message that they are here to tell us.  Open your heart and truly listen and your life will change forever!” 

To Begin Again!

Over the past year or so I have republished all of the original blogs from ‘Journey to Joy’ I did this to reintroduce the blog to people that never read the original postings.  I have decided to begin the blog again, with the hope of posting at least 2-3 times a week.  I hope you will welcome this new content and I hope that this blog can again help thousands of people.  As with the original blog I promise this will be an easy 5 minute read with a positive message to help you learn to live a more joyful life, if you haven’t read the original posts, I invite you to but it’s not needed to enjoy the new ones.

What do you fear the most about starting over?  Is it the fear of the unknown? Or the fear of the past?  Since I decided to republish these blogs, I lost my job and started my own business.  I have worked hard in my life to not allow fear in my life.  This isn’t to say that I don’t have moments of fear, I truly do.  I love where I’m living in Colorado and would be sad if we had to leave because of my decision to give up my previous career as a tax accountant and start my own travel business.  I believe there comes a time in everyone’s life that they have to ‘reinvent’ themselves and get back to what makes them happy.  I decided to change my life by getting back to 2 things that I love; travel and helping people. 

I am thrilled with this decision but still have my moments of doubt.  The greatest fear any of us have is the fear of the unknown!  We can never predict what will happen tomorrow or even in the next hour.  The truth about life is all we have is this moment right now, in this moment everything is possible.

The problem for most of us is that we are unable to stay in the present moment because we hope for a better life tomorrow or we’re stuck in what happened yesterday.  No matter what happened in the past we need to move beyond it by letting it go.  I know this isn’t always easy, it took me years to work through some of the things I’ve been through in my life.  I came to one conclusion in regards to this, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without going through everything I’ve been through in my life.  I love who I am, it took me a very longtime to say that but because I now can I can move beyond my past.

The second issue is the dream or promise for tomorrow.  I love to dream, I believe in hope, but the way to make those dreams come true is to enjoy where you’re at now!!  By changing the way you look at things in this moment you can begin to change your life.  Find joy, find wonderment, be grateful for everything you have and your life will begin to change forever.  I know this because it’s happened to me.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “The way to begin again in your life is to find joy in this and every moment.  One moment at a time you will change your life, forever!”

 

Growing in Isolation

 

 

Often in our lives we make the decision to hide away so the world won't upset us, won't change us, won't destroy what little we have.  The truth is that that's not a life, life will happen with or without you, it's far better to look for opportunities to grow then it is to hide away from everything in your life.

 

Being by yourself can lead to self discovery and I encourage everyone to take time to know who they truly are, for when you understand that all you are is love and all you seek in life is love returned you; you will be a force in the world.  Love can be the hardest thing in our lives to deal with as two ego's come together to try to be one; but we are love and when we give love we will receive it back.  No matter how difficult love has been in the past it is the way to growing in the future.

 

The universe/God has a way in our life to teach us what we need to know to grow and move forward.  Sometimes those lessons are very difficult to hear and deal with, but if we bury our proverbial heads in the sand, the lesson will repeat itself until we learn what we need to know.

 

Take time each day to discover the love you have inside of you.  You are a beautiful person & the world is better because you are here.  Our society has become so competitive that if we’re not the best we feel as though we’ve failed.  You haven’t failed, you are love and whether life is a struggle or easy for you; you will always be a precious person that I am grateful to have in my life. 

Let go of the noise and the expectations of others; grow in each moment.  Take the time to release the pain and hurt from the past.  Know that the path forward will always open itself to you if you are willing to take the time to let go and be love. 

Stop the struggle and begin to accept the beauty in this moment.  For only through gratitude and wonder can we move beyond who we are and into the place we were meant to be.  The struggle we all face, as difficult as it can be. Is only to help us return to who we truly are.  We’ve lost our way through generations of greed, ego’s and control and where has it gotten us?  The truth is, the world community is growing in consciousness and as we come together and understand that that our differences only help us to grow we will grow together like no time in history.  We are one, all connected in spirit and in love. Allow, release, grow.

It is truly within you to grow beyond who you are.  Join me & change the world, stop the hate; show love and compassion and move yourself and everyone else to a better place.  I believe in you because I know you, you are love!

 

Hugs,

 

Bill

 

PS: It’s been a while since I’ve written, I’m sorry for that, I will try to be here a little more often.  Till next time remember: “When love touches your heart you will change forever; when you show love from your heart you change the life of everyone you meet.”



And What Now?

What have I lost in my discovery of how I am? What have we all lost in this age of intolerance? We’ve embarked on a journey together but yet in the current times all we seem to do is draw lines in the sand that define who we think we are. Why is it so important to be so certain? Know that it’s only the Ego that needs certainty & the louder the drum beats the more certain we think we become. But, really do we have all the answers? Search deep in your soul & understand that we are all searching, some of us are more enlightened then others but does that mean we should all join in? NO! what it means is that we each experience our own path to discover, each in our own unique way. So each of us is charged with understanding that just because someone else doesn’t agree with our point of view doesn’t mean they are wrong, it only means that they have experienced different things then we have.

This enlightenment that each of us are only trying to discover what we truly need is the awaking that we all need to find. For each of us is connected deeper then we’ll ever understand & we are on a journey together & separately to discover what is important in our lives. We forget, unfortunately, that we are all on the same journey & only by coming together & letting go of our Ego…and the need to be right, can we truly move onto a common ground that can change the world.

The noise is loud & sometimes deafening especially in the current environment where governments daily draw the line in the sand & challenge everyone to find a solution. Stop the noise, listen to your heart, believe that you can make a difference & that everyone who crosses your path is there for a reason.

Yes, sometimes the quietest voice is the only one you should be listening to because the noise is loud but doesn’t really ring true to who are. Let go, find common ground & discover that no matter who we are that we all journey for the same thing. Don’t judge, instead accept. For through acceptance of our differences we grow together instead of apart. We’ve lived far too long apart, we are one people with one journey & that journey is to make the world a better place. So let go of the acrimony & discover that through love & acceptance we can all get along.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “In my heart I know you are my brother & regardless of our differences I understand that we are one & will always be that way.”

When Enough is Enough!

We all have our breaking points, they can be vastly different from one person to the next but we all have them. Sometimes they’re triggered by life events; Marriage, Divorce, A Death or Moving & sometimes they’re triggered by our own internal strife; Being unhappy, not knowing our true self, listening to the noise around you rather then to that small voice inside. There are dozens of more examples of these things & of course we can always add ‘people’. Yes, people can push over the edge. I personally try to move away from this because I’ve come to understand that I have no control over how people react in my life. Certainly in the moment I can get caught up in the energy of the other person but I quickly realize that whatever they’re upset about may not have anything to do with me. No matter how well you think you know another person, you can never know truly what’s ‘bothering’ them unless they’re willing to talk about it & you’re willing to truly listen (not an easy task always).

My point here isn’t what triggers the feeling of being overwhelmed or having enough. The reason you reach that point isn’t as important as being in that state of mind & how you react when you get there. So when you reach your breaking point, what do you do? Do you scream & yell, to hide away from the world? Do you avoid people or situations so you don’t go even further over the edge? Do you drink more or take drugs to dull your feelings until you get through to the other side of this tipping point?

I personally have no perfect solution to the feeling of being overwhelmed; I have discovered though that there are ways beyond the feeling & although I have fallen into this trap from time to time myself, I have discovered ways to minimize the length of time for feeling overwhelmed. What makes this situation even worse is stress. When stress is added to the equation of feeling overwhelmed you can really dig yourself a tough hole to get out of.

So what I have learned? First, give yourself permission to feel overwhelmed. It’s ok, really it is. We deal with so much in our lives today that no other generation had to worry about. Everything happens so much faster & the world expects an answer now, not tomorrow, not next week but now. So it truly is ok to feel overwhelmed, it’s ok to feel you’ve had a enough, allow the feeling, feel the feeling & then let it go. This may sound easy & after you practice releasing feelings or any kind it will become easier. For now just trust that by slowing down, relaxing & releasing the situation to God/universe you can begin to heal from this overwhelming feeling.

Secondly, I give myself time. I try to push as much stuff in my life to a future date or I ask for help from friends or family explaining that currently my plate is full & if you can do xy or z for me it would really help me right now. This can be a tough thing for some people to do but think about how wonderful you feel when you’re able to help a friend or family member with something. Don’t deny them that same wonderful feeling allow them to help with whatever they can.

Thirdly, be grateful! Find something in your life that you’re grateful for, no matter how bad things are you can always find something to be grateful for & by experiencing true gratitude you will begin to feel less overwhelmed. I have personally found that this step alone can lift me back up, for through gratitude everything is possible.

Finally, for me, the final step is to understand that this to shall pass. Nothing lasts forever & even though when we’re in the middle of a situation it can feel like it, it will come to end. Think through all things you’ve gone through in your life; give yourself credit for making it through everything that’s happened to you in the past. We all tend to be the hardest on ourselves so instead give yourself credit & know that you’ve made it through all the things you’ve experienced before & you’ll make it through this as well.

We all are beautiful divine creatures & we can’t control everything that happens in our lives. We can learn from what we face & grow into a better understanding of how to face uncertainty in the future. You have the power within you to create the world you want to live in. You have the power to transform your life into anything that you want it to be. Believe in yourself; believe in the process of life & growth. Know the joy in every moment even the moments we’d rather forget. Joy is all around us & if we allow ourselves to discover it even in the hard times, imagine how much we’ll find in the good times.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “You are beautiful, you are love & you can change the world, believe & it will be.”

WHY?

The timeless question of why? It may be the first thing you remember asking as a child. It fuels our curiosity & drives us to find a better way. The truth is ‘why’ is one of the cornerstones of who we are as human beings, we question everything & although this can lead to new & exciting answers, it can also lead to a spiral of despair.

I understand that when you look back over the last 200 years or so you’ll know that only because of great men asking why have we had all the inventions that we’ve become accustom to. I know that through our curiosity we can grow to a higher level of understanding but I’ve learned first hand of the downside of an active mind. A mind that questions everything & is never truly satisfied with the answer. A mind that lacks contentment & peace, that knows not the joy of the beauty around it.

Yes, that was my mind for many years. I did find beauty from time to time but my mind was always onto the next best thing. I could figure out complex puzzles while watching a movie or walking the dogs. This wasn’t all bad but on a spiritual level I never felt satisfied. My EGO was going wild because there seemed to be nothing I couldn’t do, except find true joy.

The quieting of my mind took me most of my life, thus far, to figure out. I learned painfully well that by ‘over-thinking’ everything in our lives we miss out on the most important thing & that thing is….how we feel. I learned to understand that by allowing myself to feel that deep feeling that comes from my heart, I could discover joy.

Now, I’m not going to sit here & tell you not to think, that’s not the point of this blog. The point is to understand the difference between acting out of pure thought & understanding how you feel in any given situation. There’s always times when you need to look at & analyze things, as there are times when you act on pure emotions without regard to thought. We don’t live in a vacuum where one thing is better then another, we instead live our lives everyday doing the best we can & because of this we look for ways to bring more joy into our lives, to me that way is by understanding our true feelings.

We can grow only so far by reading & thinking & staying on an intellectual level. The longer we stay there the harder it is to move away from it & before you know it you’ll talk yourself out of some the best things in the world. Our hearts won’t lead us stray very often if we truly listen to them. In fact, as we begin to understand how we feel about the things in our lives, we begin to understand ourselves better. It is through this understanding that God/universe acts to give us more of what makes us happy. Each of us was born a pure spirit that knew nothing but joy, we’ve learned to be cynical, we’ve learned to hate & fear. By opening our hearts we begin to discover the joy we knew as a child, the joy that knew no bounds, the joy makes a moment last a lifetime.

Believe in yourself; know that whatever challenges you are facing, big or small, can be overcome by growing your spirit & understanding who you are. Allow yourself to trust in your heart, it will open the world to you. Know that you will make through no matter how difficult it gets. I believe in you & in your spirit, you are special & I am blessed to know you.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “Trust in your heart & everything is possible.”

It's not easy being green!

Boy I miss Jim Henson; to me it’s always sad to have such a great talent go away way before his time. Jim Henson changed what children’s television was, through programs like Sesame Street & The Muppet Show. His genius of using the Muppet characters to teach children about difficult situations is still a benchmark that other’s should look to. This is especially true of one little green frog that was the embodiment of his creator. I am, of course, talking about Kermit the frog. Kermit was often misunderstood & sometimes overshadowed by the likes of Miss Piggy, Elmo & Big Bird but to me Kermit always spoke the truth & often tackled the hard

subjects that the Muppets would deal with. His classic song from Sesame Street “It’s not easy being green” is a great example of how to deal not only with race but with the feeling many of us have, even as adults the feeling…..that we don’t like who we are. In these wonderful lyrics Kermit discovers that he is content with being green after thinking that green isn’t a great color to be.

Here’s the Lyrics:

“It's not that easy being green

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves

When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold

Or something much more colorful like that

It's not easy being green

It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things

And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're

Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water

Or stars in the sky

But green's the color of Spring

And green can be cool and friendly-like

And green can be big like an ocean, or important

Like a mountain, or tall like a tree

When green is all there is to be

It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why

Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful

And I think it's what I want to be”

Have you ever thought that life would be different if you were someone who you weren’t? Many of us go through our lives wondering what would happen if…… & although it’s great to dream (in fact I encourage it) the truth is we have to get comfortable in our own skin before we can tackle the bigger questions in our lives. The greatest gift any of us has to give is love & if we don’t love who we are, we can’t possibly give our love to everyone else in our life. As in the song, sometimes we just need to realize how great we actually are. We are all created out of love & through love we can accomplish anything we want. It really is ok to be green or purple or red. Embrace who you are & the world will embrace you back. This isn’t meant to say that we we’re perfect, as human’s we never will be, but by loving who we are & working to improve

ourselves we will continue to grow. It is through this growth that we can become the person we want to be. Remember that everything is possible it only takes the first step to get you started & the desire to change.

Jim Henson brought out the best in people by showing them that even a little green frog can find happiness. Magic & miracles happen everyday around us. All we need to do is look for them & they’ll appear.

We’ve become so jaded as a society that we look right past the miracles in our lives, which brings me to another great Kermit the frog song; Rainbow connection, here’s the lyrics:

“Why are there so many songs about rainbows

and what's on the other side?

Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,

and rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it.

I know they're wrong, wait and see.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard

and answered when wished on the morning star?

Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.

Look what it's done so far.

What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing

and what do we think we might see?

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell. We know that it's probably magic.

Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?

I've heard them calling my name.

Is this the sweet sound that called the young sailors.

The voice might be one and the same.

I've heard it too many times to ignore it.

It's something that I'm supposed to be.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me”

Even in this simple song we find that just by believing we can make it so. That’s the way God/universe works believe or in today’s lingo, set your intention. Know that God/universe will create the perfect solution; sometimes it’s not what we think it will be but often it’s even better. The key, as I’ve written about before, is to let go of the EGO & set the intention on something that will make you better as a person, not something that satisfies the EGO.

Life is a journey that becomes whatever you want it to be. Trust in your power, believe in yourself & change the world one step at a time.

Boy I miss Jim Henson……

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “Know in your heart that you have the power to change everything in your life, it’s all up to you….believe & it will be.”

Lifting each other up!

Times have been hard for many of us over the past couple of years. I know for me it’s been a very difficult time, starting with 15 months of unemployment & ending with moving my family halfway across the country after being apart for 6 months. I’ve written often about how I kept positive & continued to move my life forward even through this difficult time.

The one thing that stayed consistent for me was helping others. I believe strongly in the law of attraction which simply states “Whatever we give out comes back to us magnified.” The reason I could continue leading a joyful life even when things weren’t great for me is because I knew that I would in someway be given back for everything I’ve done to help others.

This happened to me over & over again with small & large gestures from family & sometimes from people I hardly knew. The bottom line was that I found great joy in all the little surprises that came my way & helped me to get through a difficult time.

In addition to receiving the benefits of the law of attraction, I rediscovered the simple joy in just helping others. The acts of kindness that each of us undertake on a daily basis can truly change the world. We don’t always see the ripple effect of what we start by helping another person but trust me the ripple continues well beyond what you can imagine.

The smallest gesture can change another person’s outlook & that person can then affect everyone they come in contact with & so on & so on. Sometimes you may never see how a simple word or gesture changes a person’s life forever but trust me it happens all the time.

The challenge we all face is understanding the way we can affect others that pass into our lives, even when they are chance encounters with someone we don’t know or will never know again. Your actions are like a pebble in the pond of the universe & I challenge each of you to take action everyday to lift another person up. Help a neighbor, help a friend, help someone you don’t even know but take action today.

Don’t make this about money, it’s great to give to organizations that help others or help causes we believe in but this is about a personal daily connection in your life that will make a difference. Smile, do the smallest thing & watch the ripples grow. Your life as well as many others will change for the good because of your actions.

Take the first step today & watch the world change around you!

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “Take the first step today to lift someone else up, by taking this action your life will change forever.”

Mixed Signals

I have written often about the connection we all have with one another & with God/universe. With this connection we can discover a pathway to a better life. We can learn to set our intentions & watch them materialize. We can understand that anything is possible & that everything unfolds perfectly before us.

So what happens when you feel you’re connected & things around you begin to change but God/universe sends you “mixed signals”? What do I mean by “mixed signals”? To me, mixed signals are when you receive messages from God/universe that seem to contradict one another, as in: You apply for a new job that seems perfect & out of the blue your old job gives you a raise & a promotion. These two things seem to contradict one another but truthfully it’s all in the way you look at it.

In life, it’s much easier for all of us to stay where we are, even if the place we’re at isn’t the best place. We find a great comfort in knowing what to expect in our life even if we’re not as happy as we’d like to be.

So why does God/universe send us mixed signals? The answer to this can be very difficult but there are two very easy answers that allow us to understand how the process of intentions works. The first answer is that often God/universe gives us choices to see if we’ve learned what we need to know to move to a better place in our life. I believe that if we don’t learn & grow in our life the lessons will continue to repeat themselves until we learn the lessons we need to learn. So, in the case of “mixed signals” God/universe is saying, you have a choice of moving forward to a better place or staying where you are because it’s comfortable. The choice is always ours & it’s always more difficult to take a risk then it is to stay in a safe place.

I personally took along time to learn this message. Early on in my professional career I would always chase the job that paid more money regardless of how happy I was where I was at. I thought that money was the answer to my happiness & I learned the hard way that being happy has nothing to do with money & everything to do with enjoying where you’re at. In this first example God/universe is giving you the choice to learn & grow.

In the second answer, we need to look within. The truth is that since we create everything in our lives consciously or subconsciously we alone may be the cause of the mixed signals in our lives. We may be uncertain of what we want so the intentions we set are unclear to God/universe & thus we receive “mixed signals” in return. The setting of our intentions are in fact one of the hardest things to master & the clearer our intentions the better the result we will see.

I have at times, found it difficult to be certain of how clear the intention is that I’m setting, releasing & allowing God/universe to act on in the perfect way. So I have discovered that the only way, for me, to set an intention is to take time to be quite & focus on what feels right in my heart. Then I release the intention & ask for God/universe to allow my intention to unfold perfectly before me. The hardest part for me in this process is moving beyond my head & into my heart. I’ve written before of the power of the EGO & its need for instant gratification. This hurdle can be a tough one to overcome & until you do you may continue to discover mixed signals in your life.

The bottom line is when “mixed signals” appear in my life I take time to evaluate what God/universe is trying to show me. Self reflection will always bring more clarity to the situation & the “mixed signals” will begin to dissipate as you begin to understand what you truly want in your life.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “Through self-reflection we can begin to understand the mixed signals that appear in our lives. Through this understanding we can grow to a better life.”

Understanding your dark side

Yes we all have one even if we don’t want to admit it. In fact trying to bury it away is one of the biggest problems we can face. The trick, I’ve found, with the dark side is to acknowledge it & know when it’s needed. Yes, there truly are times that we need to allow ourselves to slip into the dark side.

What do I mean by the dark side? To me it’s the part of myself that's selfish, cranky, rude & sometimes wishes ill will to ours. We all have those moments in our life when we snap at someone or do something truly for our own benefit even if it means hurting someone else. I’m sure if we explored deeper we would find even nastier parts of ourselves & exploring is the key. If we can’t understand ourselves how can we expect anyone else to understand where we’re coming from or what motivates us. It truly is impossible! What often happens next is a feeling of frustration because we feel misunderstood & alone.

In the fast paced world we live in today everybody is looking for the quick fix, the miracle cure & many of us are unwilling to take the time needed to discover who we truly are. A big reason for this is we’re afraid of what we’ll find. So how many skeletons have you buried inside of yourself? How much hurt & pain have you tucked away for fear of experiencing it? We all do it but does that make it right? I think not!!!

There are two things you need to remember when you begin the exploration of yourself:

1) Anything you discover about yourself can be changed. This is a proven fact by many studies throughout the last decade or so. Granted it’s not always easy to change things that you’ve been doing for a longtime but it can be done with work & repetition.

2) Only by dealing with the emotions & feelings that we have deep inside can we move beyond them to a better a life. That fear or pain that you’ve buried will always come back to haunt you at the most inopportune times until you learned to move beyond it..

I’m not going to kid you sometimes it’s a difficult process to really look into yourself. I know for me it’s was very hard process but I discovered so much about myself that it was very worthwhile. I shed many a tear looking at the pain I buried inside & realized the pain that I caused others because of my selfish actions at different times in my life. I am a better person because I understand now that if I get angry or feel hurt or act in a selfish way, where that feeling comes from & how to move beyond that feeling to a better place.

So, the question you’re probably asking yourself is, how? The answer to that is a difficult one. We all process things differently because of the life experiences we have so there’s no set pattern (although you could read books that tell you an easy way). I believe that it all begins with taking time for yourself. Go into a room alone turn everything off & allow your mind to run with whatever it wants to. I always brought a pad a paper in to jot down the thoughts I had & the feelings associated with those thoughts.; Then backtrack through your life till you get to the earliest thing you remember. Throughout this journey pay attention to the feelings that emerge as you recount the events of your life. Give yourself praise for getting through any & all the difficult times you’ve had, for by making it through you proven you can get through anything that life throws your way.

Understand when you acted selfishly or were angry or cruel to someone. Try to think about why you acted that way & if now you could think about a better way to handle the situation. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you made & for the times you didn’t act as your best self would. Understand that the past can’t be changed but that you can be the person you want to be in every situation if you understand why you acted the way you did.

Everything is possible in life & the journey we are on together or separately should always be to act as the best person we can be. We all make mistakes, we are only human but by learning from those mistakes & growing into the person we know we can be, we can change the world one step at a time.

Always remember that no matter how dark the storm becomes nothing lasts forever & you will endure because you have before. Sometimes through the darkest parts of our lives we gain the most knowledge, I wish it wasn’t so but for many of us it is. Relish the dark by discovering the joy even in the worst….it’s always there.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “Only by understanding the dark side of ourselves can we become who we truly want to be!”

Love for Life

Yes, it’s a phrase we hear often in life “He/She has a love for life” but what does it really mean & how can each of us discover a true love of live? I’ve debated this thought often in my life because although most of the time I’m a very joyful happy person there are times that I too struggle. In fact when I was younger I struggled much more often then I do now.

The secret of this phrase to me is to enjoy the moment. I know this is another often heard phrase & in today’s busy world it’s actually becoming a little cliché. I never throw things out into the world unless I truly believe them & I honestly know in my heart that they make a difference & that’s the way it is for me with living in the moment.

Many of you know I’ve had a huge transition in the past year. Going from being unemployed for 15 months to working half a country away, from home, on my own to finally being offered a full-time job & moving my family to a new home in a new state. I’m not going to sit here & say that it was always easy, in fact the truth is there were many times that were very difficult but the one thing that kept me going was just living in the moment. I discovered that overall things that we think are so important in our life actually find a way to take care of themselves if we allow them to.

I wrote a blog a while ago on the Prayer of St. Francis, in that blog I described how everything has it’s time & in the journey I’ve taken over the past 8 months I’ve discovered that not only do things have their own time but if we allow them they will find their own time. Now don’t misunderstand this, certainly there are things that we all have to take care of now but we put the “now” tag on many more things then we should. The truth is that most things in life can wait & if we allow the choice or the event to find its own time things will flow much more easily.

You see to me the joy of life is what is in-front of me right now. I discover joy in the littlest things & that joy gives me a true love of life. The love that I have for the world around me comes from the deepest part of me. It’s a quiet place that can always bring me back to a calm feeling even in the biggest storm around me. I believe with every fiber of my being that if we allow it things will work out as they should.

In today’s world that’s a difficult lesson because there’s so much hype to have everything now & to do everything now! Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in this hype. The material world will never bring you the joy you are looking for. It is only through our connection to everything & everyone that we discover the joy around us. We are made of love. Just take a moment & think back to any child you’ve known. Think about the joy & wonderment in their face over the smallest thing….like the flower in the grass or the way the clouds move. Children show us our true self. The self that only knows love & trust & goodness, the part of us that we never loose but sometimes forget about.

Take time to remember wonderment, look at the world anew in each & every moment. Practice this “letting go” until it becomes apart of you again. Through this “change of focus” the smallest things will affect you like never before. Joy is all around us but it’s up to us to discover it. Open your heart, change your focus, discover the wonderment of a child. Laugh that little giggly laugh that only a child knows because there’s so much to enjoy in this world we live in.

No matter how dark the world seems to get, there is always something to find joy in & when we as a connected community of spirits begin to discover that through our thoughts & our thoughts alone we can change the world, amazing things will begin to happen. We are at the doorstep of a new age of man, together we can cross through to a world that knows love first & that understands that we are all one.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “A true of love of life begins within each us of. Open your heart & mind & discover the joy in this moment.”

Moving out of your own way

For many of us this title sounds like an easy thing to do. We believe we know where we’re going & just what steps we need to take to get to our ultimate destination but in fact this can be one of the hardest lessons to learn in life or at least it was for me.

I know I haven’t written much lately & I apologize to all of you for that. Life has been very busy settling into a new job & relocating to a new state. I’ve had many thoughts but not the time to write them all down & then yesterday I was reminded that so often we get in our own way of happiness. In fact we set ourselves up for disappointment, how do we do this? For many of us, it’s expecting a result.

I’m not going to tell you that all expectations are bad, but I’ve learned in my life that there really is no place for them. The best result that can happen way we expect a result is that we get what we expected &, for me, that diminishes the result because we only met our expectation. On the other side of the coin if we don’t get what we expected we can be crushed & left wondering why? or what’s next?

So often in life we make up our mind that “this” is what we need to be happy & when we don’t get it we blame God/universe for our sadness because all we needed was “X” & you didn’t give it me.

The truth is we set ourselves up for this disappointment because we think we know what’s best for us. I have found in life that opening your mind to possibilities will allow things to happen in your life that you never thought could or would happen. That’s truly the way we create our future. It’s an ever evolving path that we create cooperatively with God/universe. It is only through this ebb & flow that we can create the life we want to live, for when we get set in our path or in our ways we close off the world of possibilities & stay stuck where we are, which may not be the best place.

How many times in your life have you discovered after the fact that the thing you thought you wanted the most wasn’t really all that great. I can’t answer for you but for me it was often. When I was a young man I made things happen by sheer will. I wouldn’t take no for an answer & I moved through life knowing that I could get the “brass ring” anytime I wanted.

The sad part was I was never truly happy because I thought I knew what I needed to be happy & I believed that I knew what was best for me. I went through my younger years with great highs & sometimes very deep lows because the truth was I had no idea what I wanted & I allowed my EGO to dictate what was best in the moment. The EGO always wants the instant gratification & by following the EGO we can discover tremendous highs. The problem is that the EGO is never truly satisfied it always wants more & when it doesn’t get it, we crash & burn.

I have discovered that by stepping out of my own way that life is on a much more even keel & expectations play a big roll in that. I allow the best outcome to be created, rather then expect the result that I believe is the best.

The bottom is it’s all up to you: Open your mind & allow possibilities or close your mind & expect results. Trust me when I say this choice is life changing.

Until next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: “To expect an outcome only diminishes the result, be surprised, be open to the possibility & watch the world change around you.”

Life's questions

Does your mind race everyday with the questions of your life; where are you going?, what are doing?, how can I make my life better? We all have times in our lives when the questions seem to outweigh the answers, when even though we're not thinking about the questions they're running around in the deep recesses of our mind. These questions gum up our life & can sometimes consume us to a point where we don't know what to do about anything. We can bring yourselves to the point where we can't sleep & no matter what we can't quiet our mind.

I know what this is like. I've been there before in my life & I've discovered that there are ways to move beyond these questions. My life this year has been one of transition. I have been away from home & my wife for 5 months now & I've gone from working a temp job halfway across the country to accepting a permanent position in a new state & trying to move my family here to join me. Prior to this new opportunity I was unemployed for over 14 months....it's been an odd but wonderful year.

The overwhelming questions & things that need to be done under these circumstances can cause anyone turmoil in their life but I've discovered that if you take time to be in the present & let go of the worry, you can deal with anything that comes your way. By breaking down the overwhelming amount of things to do into "what can I do today?"& allowing the rest of the questions to fall away until it's their time. Can ease the feeling of being overwhelmed & allow you to open your heart and enjoy the life you have in-front of you.

Life is to short to make the decision that I'll put it on hold for 'x' amount of time because once I do this, or that, maybe both my life will be better. This is a lie!!! To find joy in your life & to life your life to fullest you need discover the joy that is each & every moment.

Now, I'm not going to sit here & say that everything in this transition has gone easy or perfect but even when things are difficult by taking the time to discover the joy in the moment in-front you, you will live a better life. There is also joy even in struggles. The secret is to always look for it. The lessons we learn in the current moment are the lessons that will lead us onward to a better life.

Trust in the way God/universe works. Allow; let go of the need for control & the answers you're looking for will reveal themselves perfectly before you. Everything in it's time. allow God/universe to work with you in the creation of a more joyful life. Be grateful in every moment & discover the way life unfolds perfectly before you.

Till next time,

Bill

Quote of the day: "The questions of life can be answered when you allow them to unfold in their own time. Let of tomorrow & enjoy today!"

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What Brings me Joy!!!

I welcome a new guest blogger todayPetrina. I met Pertina through this blog & she's also a memeber of the National Gallery of Writing as I am. Petrina is married with 2 boys, recently moved to Virginia from New York. Currently unemployed. Profession: Mental Health Professional. Presented Alumnus Address this year for Alma Mater High School. Enjoys laughing, dancing and writing. Her Blog is: Here

What Brings me Joy!!!

What an interesting topic to write on as by reflex I can tell you all the things that cause me stress and disappointment. It is challenging because it exposes my true spirit of pessimism; joy is secondary. There are many things that bring me joy. Besides making my husband and children happy, I enjoy helping the less fortunate. I have always had a generous spirit since I was young. Giving away my clothes and any little trinket given to me. I had to learn as a newlywed not to eventually give away things my husband would buy me. I know, it is a bad habit but it took a good friend having a good talk with me before I understood the connection. I just loved giving people things that they always wanted. If I had it and they wanted it, I would give it. I remember even giving away my toys when I was very young.

A life changing event happened to me that made me even more generous towards people. I had the experience of being so poor I might as well lived in a developing country. My mother moved from the West Indies to a poor neighborhood in New York. In those days it was okay to leave your children by themselves while you went out to work. I took care of my brother while my mother went to work, took courses for citizenship and attended classes towards a degree. I raised myself and my younger brother. That was pretty much my life as a teenager until my step father came along. The only thing he did was provide an income to pay the rent. My mother was strong and brave as she could not bare to have him in the house much longer and kicked him out. That’s when it happened. We starved. For one whole year while my mother was working in a lower than low position, my brother and I discovered new creations in an empty fridge. We ate crackers and mayonnaise or pineapple jelly with crackers and sugar water as we had no lemons. We were joking about it the other day and how happy we were when on rare occasions we would be able to have hospital made spaghetti and meatballs as my mom
worked in the kitchen at the local hospital. Weekends were the hardest as we had no school lunch.

After that stage I became a teenager and my mother now a college graduate helped me to go through school as well as my brother. She now has a Masters and it motivated me to get my Masters also. (Funny I just remembered how my peers in college and roommates used to joke that they could look in the fridge and find nothing to cook, but I would go in the fridge and bring out a tasty four course meal). I looked back at my life and became more spiritual as I realized I did not get through so many hard life experiences by my own doing. Then, out of nowhere, this great opportunity to go abroad and help others in a developing country had arise. I was on the next plain as I felt I could relate, although I understood the gravity of the situation would be worse than any of my experiences. There was eight people sent by a reputable organization and I went as the only Mental Health Consultant. I spent two years serving the poor.

Today, I still find philanthropic means for helping the less fortunate. The opportunity abroad bought me the most joy. My mother’s perseverance brought me much joy. My brother being a World Trade Center survivor brought me much joy. Becoming a wife and a parent brings me joy as my husband is also generous and I am hands on with my boys. As a parent it makes me happy to instill in them the importance of things learned from my past; a good education, spirituality, an altruistic view on life and lots of kisses. They could do without the kisses I bet, but I can’t. I couldn’t pick just one thing that brings me joy, as joy for me has no time constraints.

Petrina

P.S. Things are settling in in Denver I hope to get back to regular writing next week...sorry it's taken so long but it's been crazy...hugs & look forward to reconnecting with all of you next week....if you want to be a guest writing contact me at timberwolf12345@gmail.com

The awakening of your true self!!

Do you truly know who you are? I don't mean your name or any other label you want to give yourself. I mean in your core in the depths of your soul, the parts of you that no one knows ….maybe not even yourself. The discovery of who we truly are is one of the oldest quests man has sought from the beginning of time. It drives many of us & consumes others. We put on so many different faces for the people in our life because we believe we have to be what “they” expect us to be. So we create the Mom or the Dad personality and there's the friend or the worker or the business leader....etc, etc. We create a complex life trying to please everyone & we believe that it's necessary because it's what's expected. What if I told you it's not what others expect......what if I told you that all you have to do is be who you truly are & you will be accepted by everyone in your life.

I know it sounds like an easy solution to a complex problem that has been plaguing mankind for our entire existence & the truth is it's not easy because it takes a commitment from you to take the time to discover who you truly are.....not what the PTA expects you to be...no....who you are...your true self. I believe that is our connection to everything. Our true self or what many others call our soul....can you commit to taking the time for self discovery? Aren't you worth it? I know you are because I the love you have inside that needs to be shared with the world. I know the beauty & purity of who you truly are because at our core we are all connected & anything that people perceive to be evil is truly only born from a lack of love & the need to know who we truly are.

So, how do we take the first step to begin the process of self discovery? There's no perfect way, but what I've found is simply to be. Quiet your mind, focus on your breathing, listen deep inside & feel the peace & connectedness of your true self. There is a feeling of being grounded when you're able to move beyond the thoughts going on in your busy mind. For me, I also enjoy being out in nature. I have discovered for myself that the depth of my connection to my soul/true self is much deeper when I'm in nature. There is for me, a profound awareness to the beauty around me & a knowing that I am a part of it. Whatever works for you, use it. Take the time today to discover who you truly are. Let go of the noise & the expectations, release the fear & move beyond the pain from the past. Understand that you are love. Listen to that small voice that comes from deep within & become who you were truly meant to be!! Let go of the veils of life that you hide behind & discover that when you are truly who you are suppose to be you are love & everyone will accept you for who you truly are.

Life moves with an ease when you can be who you truly are. It's a very freeing experience!! Believe in yourself & discover who you truly are!!

Hugs,

Bill

Quote of the day: “The journey of self-discovery is the most important journey any of us can take. Stop pretending & be who you truly are.....LOVE!”

Living in the moment!!

I've talked a lot over the past year about letting life come to you & living life in each moment but what does that really mean.....”living in the moment”. I think as with many things in life you can interpret the meaning of that phrase in many different ways. For the purposes of this blog it's not important to me how literally you take the phrase or what this phrase means to you personally. What's important to me is that you begin to learn to live your life in each moment.

I've been challenged over the past few weeks to work myself through a huge shift in my life. I have moved (at least temporarily) to the Denver, Colorado area. I have left my beautiful wife, our two dogs, my house, my friends & everything I know as part of my life, for the past 12 years, behind to move to a state that I've spent only 3-5 days in for my entire life. The only thing that has keep me in a state of joy is living in each moment & discovering the joy that each moment has for us. The truth is there is joy all around us even when things aren't easy, but it's up to us to discover the joy that is hidden even in challenging times.

How do I this? I don't worry about tomorrow. I believe in the very core of who I am that tomorrow will unfold perfectly before me just as it should. It is in this shift of thought that all possibilities are born. I read from many people that they believe the key to life is to “live from the end”, in other words see the end & work backwards to today to see how to get there. This may work for some but for me it's the furthest from the truth that we can move. I know that if I set my intention for the future & release that intention into the world with no attachment to the results, God/universe will lead us to where we want to end up by living in each moment in-between. You see life is only about the now. The preoccupation with what will happen tomorrow steals away the life we can have right now. There is no promise that we have anything beyond this moment we share together right now. So why be concerned about what will happen tomorrow? The only thing that matters is right now & if you're willing to live each moment to fullest your life will always unfold perfectly before you.

Are there never setbacks? Is life always perfect going forward? Of course not!! We need adversity in our life to help us learn the lessons we need to know to move on to a better life. I was laid-off from my job in June 2009 & the past year hasn't been easy financially but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I have discovered more about myself in the past year then I have in almost 50 years before this....would I have asked for this? No!! But God/universe knew this is what I needed to grow into the person I've always been inside. You see none of us truly need improvement we just need to get back to who we truly are in our soul!! Our truest self only knows how to live life perfectly.

You can change your life today, all you need to do is start right now let go of the expectations of tomorrow & discover the joy in this moment.

Hugs,

Bill

Quote of the day: “Everything is possible in the present moment....open your mind & heart to the joy right now in this exact moment & begin the change”

Raising the bar!

Do you set goals in your life? Do have a standard for your work career or for your life? I've always set high standards in everything I do in my life and I am always present in anything I'm engaged in. Being present may sound like an easy thing but with the busyness of life today it's sometimes hard be present in something right now. This especially true with work or something else that can be mundane. When we are engaged in a mundane task our mind tends to wander & think about what's next or what we want to do tomorrow. I've worked hard in my life to move beyond this wandering. I try to be present in everything I do & do the best job I am capable of doing. I allow myself to make mistakes, I don't try to make mistakes but I understand that mistakes happen so I allow myself mistakes.

Being present in every moment of your life will open your mind to the joy that's right in front of you. Even in that mundane task you can find joy!! Joy is all around us in the most ordinary things & by discovering the joy in the ordinary we can discover the joy in everything.

So what does "raising the bar" mean to you? Obviously it means reaching for more in everything you do but I would like to open us all up to raising the bar of our own consciousness. There's been a lot said & written about the making the world a better place. To me, the way to make the world better is to challenge each of us to be better people. If we each grow & become the source of love we all can be, we each improve our own part of the world. This improvement then grows exponentially because everyone in our life is affected by our love & then they learn to love more & so on & so on.

I believe in the human spirit & I believe that all change begins with us individually. Work on improving yourself, grow in your consciousness, become the light in your own world & watch that light grow around you!!

Have a great weekend,

Bill

PS I'm going to Denver to start a 2 month contract job, I may not blog next week until I'm sure of my new schedule but I promise I'll be back as soon as possible.

Quote of the day:" Raise the bar in your own life, live life to the fullest, be present in each moment & grow your own consciousness. You are the key to changing the world, start today!!!"

When life doesn't flow!

I have found in my life that when I stay connected to my true self (soul) life seems to flow with little effort. Things unfold perfectly in each moment of everyday. But, when life isn't flowing when everything is a struggle we need to examine what's caused this disruption to the flow of life.

When I was younger I didn't understand how to connect to my soul. I'm not even sure that I understood what a deep connection was. I knew that I always felt at peace in nature but beyond that life seemed very disconnected. I've written before here that I would just "make" things happen in my life. What I mean by that is, through sheer will I would find a way to make what I thought was important happen in my life. This actually worked to some extent but the results weren't very good. Here's an example; Lived in Northern CA for a time & at that time I was working in banking. My ex-wife didn't like to live in CA so to appease her I flew back to Chicago (where we were from) & looked for a job. I found a job at a bank in Chicago & they were willing to give me some money to move back. The bank was a very small neighborhood bank & the bank I worked in in CA was the 3rd or 4th largest bank in CA (they had something like 200 branches) so needless to say the environment was completely different.

The day I started at this bank things didn't feel right to me & the job they wanted me to do changed completely (we had discussed me being a loan officer as I was in CA but instead they wanted me to be a "personal banker" that opened accounts). Needless to say I was fired within a month of moving back home. I wasn't fired because I couldn't do the job but because I didn't fit into their environment & they had someone else that had turned down the job before they offered it to me that changed their mind...the perfect person to them.

So this worked because it got me back home & I was making some good dollars but it turned sour very quickly. This is what happens when we're not connected to our true self (soul). We can have an immediate success but in the long run things never workout the way we think they will. The main reason for this is because of the EGO. I written a lot in this blog about the EGO & I would invite you to look back & read those blogs. But the EGO wants immediate satisfaction, it always wants the next best thing & as soon as it gets what it wants it wants something else because of this it's never satisfied.

Your life in an EGO state is filled with huge swings up & down....successes & then big challenges & even when the success out weigh the challenges life never feels fulfilling. We all have to deal with this EGO state to live a more joyful life. I personally don't believe the path to a better life means suppressing or ignoring the EGO is the way through. To me each part of us works together in harmony & the EGO is no different. It has a place in our life, we just can't allow it to take over.

So how do we move beyond the EGO? The easiest way is to acknowledge the voice of the EGO. This voice tends to be the quickest & loudest voice we hear when we are trying to make a decision. The EGO says "Listen to me, Listen to me"! So, if we acknowledge what the EGO is saying we can quiet the noise from the EGO. Once we quiet this noise we are able to move to the deeper connection of our soul. This deeper connection takes practice to accomplish but once you've gotten into a routine of listening to your true self (soul) it gets easier & easier. The voice of the soul is quiet & when it speaks it feels right in every part of your body. It will not lead you in the wrong direction.

When things don't seem to flow in your life, slow down & reconnect with your true self (soul). Through this connection you will rediscover the natural flow of a joyful life!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

PS I'm still looking for guest bloggers, if you'd like to write a blog here...let me know. Contact me at timberwolf12345@gmail.com

Quote of the day: "When life feels disconnected, take time to reconnect to your true self (soul) & discover the joy your life can have."