Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Personal Responsibility

I had a nice discussion with @ponet on twitter yesterday regarding yesterday's blog on "Power".  During the discussion we talked about Personal Responsibility & the need in the world to shift towards reclaiming it, so I thought I'd write a blog about it today.

What are your thoughts about Personal Responsibility?  Do you think it's a problem?  Do you think it has anything to do with finding joy?  I believe there is a crisis in the world in regards to Personal Responsibility.  I think many people look to blame someone else for anything that happens to them.  They try to, in a lot of cases, profit off of a misfortune by blaming this other person.  Our society, at least in the U.S., is based on suing first & asking questions later.  I believe this is an unhealthy way to live because in many cases you're truly lying to yourself.

So what is Personal Responsibility?  To me it means accepting responsibility for your life.  We all make mistakes, it's part of bring human.  We need to accept that we made a mistake, forgive ourselves for making the mistake & move forward into a better life.

Taking responsibility for my actions was never an issue with me because I've always been honest.  But, forgiving myself for the mistakes I made took me a longtime to understand.  As I've noted in this blog before I had some issues with my Dad & I never felt like anything I did was good enough.  Therefore when I made a mistake it just played into the not being good enough feeling so I was always very hard on myself about mistakes.  

The solution to this issue has to be both parts because the only way you can move forward to a more joyful life is to accept Personal Responsibility for your actions & to forgive yourself for your mistakes. The joy you're looking for in your life comes from being true to yourself & reconnecting with your soul.  The only way to do this is to be honest to yourself & accept responsibility for your actions.

Move forward today & stop the blame game, accept responsibility for everything in your life & lead a more joyful life!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the Day: "Accept responsibility for everything in your life & forgive yourself for your mistakes.  By doing this you'll lead a more joyful life!" 

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Power

I've noticed over the past few days that it seems like I've been on a "P" kick (Patience, Peace & now Power), oh well.  I've also noticed that I have been starting most blogs lately with questions.  These questions are my thoughts as I think through a subject.  Let me know if you like the idea or not.  I'm trying to be as open as I can about my thought process and how I feel about each subject I write on.  Finally, if there's questions or other topics you'd like me to write about feel free to leave me a message here or on twitter.

On to Power; do you crave power?  What is authentic power? Is power something you can create?  I find power to be something difficult to write about because many people feel that they need to be in charge & have power.

To me power is something, as with most things, that comes from within.  It can be created through a title or a job.  This creation of power isn't true power, it's only created for the workplace or for the country/government that the title pertains to.  It's very easy to abuse this power because it's not given necessarily to a person with true leadership & authentic power.  This type of power tends to corrupt the person in the role because once they have the power given to them they don't want to lose it.  Most people believe that in order to hold on to power you need to control everything.  They feel the need to know what's going on so they can prevent someone from taking their power away.

The Tao says just the opposite.  It says the way to "rule" (have power) is to let go of everything & do nothing.  People will do the right thing because basically people are good.  I truly believe in this, I have always managed the people under me through empowerment.  What this means to me is that I help them learn & trust & believe in them to do their best job.  This doesn't mean they don't make mistakes, mistakes are part of the learning process, but instead of focusing on the mistakes.  I focus on what we've learned through the process.  Through this process everyone learns & grows.

So what is authentic power?  I believe there are natural born leaders.  They are the people that everyone is naturally drawn to.  The reason why we're are drawn to these people is because they have authenic power.  They have learned to tap into the soul & connect to the true power of God/universe.  In the Tao it says when we release everything we will be given everything we can imagine.  It is through no effort that everything is accomplished.  Learn to tap into the soul & find the deep fulfilling energy of God/universe & you will never lack anything!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Be gentle with power for true power comes from within."

Monday, September 21, 2009

Peace

I noticed in the paper today that it's the International day of peace.  I wondered what we all think about peace?  Not only world peace but the peace we have inside of us.  The peace in the way we deal with others in our life.  Have you given any thought to peace?

Like everything else in order to truly be able give or project peace we need to have it inside of us.  Every journey we begin must start with us.  So take a moment and think about peace. What are your thoughts? Can you find the quiet inside yourself? 

The soul is as deep as the ocean & by connecting with our soul we can find true peace within us.  Once we begin to know peace for ourselves we can then begin to spread peace throughout all of our life.  Deal with everyone in your life from a place of love & peace.

World peace is within our grasp if we all can bring peace into our own life.  When each of us as individuals become more loving & peaceful the world will begin to shift towards a more peaceful place. 

Most people believe the only way for large issues to be resolved is by large actions.  I believe instead that it's in the smallest steps that each of us take that truly make the difference.  All it takes is making that first step & the journey will be under way.  Join me in bringing more peace to the world.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Together we can change the world all it takes is a small step from each us to begin the journey of change.  Start today!" 

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Perfection

Are you a perfectionist?  Are you hard on yourself because you can't live up to your own expectations?  Wow, this is a tough subject matter for me because this is the way I always use to be.  As I have explained in previously, growing up I had a difficult relationship with my Dad & no matter what I accomplished in my life, it never seemed to be good enough for him.  What happened with this "not being good enough" is that it caused me to to strive to be perfect & expect that others will be perfect as well.

This is a very difficult & very damaging way to be.  Not only does it close you off but it puts you into a cycle of negative behavior that's very difficult to get out of.  Your expectations of yourself leads you to feel badly because you can't find perfection in your daily life. Then you are lead to anger because everyone else in your life can't live up to the perfection you expect from them.

How do you get out of this vicious cycle.  The way I was able to find my way out was by starting with forgiveness of myself.  Why is this important?  The truth is that none of as human beings will ever be perfect.  We make mistakes, we say & do things that we later regret.  So by forgiving yourself first and understanding that you are going to make mistakes you can start to move past this toxic behavior. 

The finally part of getting past this behavior is to love yourself & to find the good in everyone else in your life.  Remember that everyone in their core is a divine being & no matter what they do or have done in their life they are just trying to do the best they can for themselves.  There's always something you can find about them that's good.  Forgive them for making mistakes, as you forgive yourself & love them for the good that they do.

Tomorrow, I have some family stuff to take care of so I won't have time to write.  I'll be back on Monday morning.  I hope you all have a great weekend.

Bill

Quote of the day: "Release the need to be perfect. Forgive & love yourself through any mistakes you make. Live a joyful life!"

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Dealing with fallow times

I've always liked the word fallow when talking about "bad' or "unproductive" times.  To me fallow is connected with nature & as I discussed in the blog on "Time" everything has it's natural time.  Today I wanted to discuss what we do during this fallow time.

I think the first thing to remember is that no matter how connected you are to God/universe there are going to be "fallow times".  Many people believe that we need these "fallow times"  to grow because it's only through struggle that we can change.  I know for me I have truly grown through my struggles but I've also grown through my daily life.  I've always tried to learn & grow in each & every day! 

I do know that if you are not connected to God/universe or if you're ignoring the messages that are coming your way.  God/universe has a way of making sure you get the message.  Sometimes that means going through "fallow times".

Once you understand that these "fallow times" are a normal part of life.  The next thing I do is try to look at what the message is that's being shown to me.  This can be difficult because you're trying to deal with the issues you have right in front of you.  What I've tried to do, just like during my daily life, is to take some quiet time & reflect on what the message is.

Once you understand the message you can deal with the things you need to learn & grow through.  Changing can be difficult for many people but God/universe will always try to give you the information you need to change.  The rest is truly up to you.

Remember that once anything happens in your life it's in the past & it can't be changed.  You may be able to make amends but you can't change what's happened.  Learn from the fallow times, let go of the past & move forward to a more joyful/positive life.

Remember that these times will pass, as in nature no storm lasts forever.  Believe in yourself & your ability to change & grow through these fallow times.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Even in the darkest times if you look inside you can always find the light.  Grow through the challenges & lead a more joyful life" 

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Believe in Miracles

Do you believe in miracles?  Do miracles happen in your life? I think with all the noise & the push to have everything quantified & proven we've lost some of the magic.  One of the ways to shift to a more joyful/positive life is to rediscover the magic in the world & of course, in your life.

Up until the industrial revolution of the last 100 years people always believed that miracles happened.  They saw miracles big & small in their daily lives but with all the new inventions & the growth of science we tend to not even look for miracles.  We get to the point where even when a miracle happens we don't believe that it's a miracle.  We think there must be a reason for what happened & we look past the wonder of the miracle.

Don't get me wrong I love the world we live in & the continued innovation that this world creates.  But, for me looking at the world as a child is the way to live.  Everything in the world to me is a wonder.  I am always amazed at the beauty around us & I see miracles happen everyday in my life.  Sometimes these miracles are small & sometimes they are just amazing.

Open your eyes to the wonder in your life.  Let go of the noises telling you that things are a certain way, become a child again & reconnect to the joy in the world.  Love with all your heart & trust that miracles happen!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day from Deepak Chopra: "Every decision I make is a choice between a grievance & a miracle.  I let go of grievances & choose miracles."

Monday, September 14, 2009

Being Yourself

Do you know who you are?  I mean truly in your soul?  Do you know what you want to do?  Do you know what you're good at?  These are all very important questions.  We've talked a lot about how to lead a more joyful/positive life over the last 3 months.  I've shared the ways that I've learned to change your life, to open your heart & to become a positive influence in this world. All of this information is great & I truly hope it helps, but the bottom line is you need to know who you are & what you want.

In the world today there's a big push to always go further, become more famous, make more money & to be a big success.  I think sometimes in all the noise of the media we think the only way to be who we are is to do more, make more, etc.  The bottom line is that none of this really matters.  No matter the pressure you feel by family, friends or co-workers you need to discover what you truly want.  I realize that this isn't always easy.  Quieting the noise around you & focusing on what is true to your heart takes time.

What I want you to realize is it doesn't matter what it is that you truly want.  If you love to be a janitor & that's what makes you happy, be a janitor.  The world goes around because each of us have our own talents & skills.  Don't get caught up in all the noise around you.  Find where your heart wants to be & do what you want to do.

I've done a lot of different things in my life.  It took me a longtime to know who I was & what I wanted to do.  The work I've done over the past 10-12 years has helped me to discover my talents & who I really am.  Before you can change your life completely you need to take time to figure out what you want & who you are.

Believe in yourself & know that once you're clear God/universe will provide what you want.  Know whatever path you want to pursue it's ok, the world needs all skills & talents to continue to grow.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Believe in yourself & know your talents, for the world opens up to anyone who's honest with themselves."