Pain

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

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

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

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

Till Tomorrow,

Bill

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

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




By TwitterButtons.com

Complexity

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

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill

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




By TwitterButtons.com

Frustration

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill

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




By TwitterButtons.com

Listening

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

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

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

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

Till Monday, enjoy your weekend.

Bill

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




By TwitterButtons.com

Heroes

Do you have any heroes in your life? I think in the world today we often get confused about about what a true hero is. Many of us pin that label on Entertainers, Sports stars or politicians. The problem is that we build these people up to be even more then they are. I've personally never gotten into all the gossip surrounding all the personalities that are in the daily news. I look to each group for what they bring into my life: Entertainers - how much I enjoy their show, movie or song. Sports stars - how they perform on the filed of play. Politicians - what they do for the betterment of society or what they do with issues that are important to me. I think we all forget that these are people just like you & me. They make mistakes just like each of us do & rarely do they deserve the label of hero.

So do heroes exist today? I believe there are heroes all around us. To me surrounding ourselves with heroes can lead us to more growth in our lives. This growth can be in many different areas but the best part is that you will have people around you that you can pattern your behavior & life after. Certainly there are heroes that do amazing things, I'll never forget all the sacrifices our men & women in the military make everyday or the person who runs into a burning house to save the people inside. These are amazing people in a moment of decision but to me finding the people that do the right thing everyday of their life are the people to surround yourself with. These are the people that will truly help change your life. Find the people that can enhance the things that are important to you in your life. Listen to them, learn from them & your life will be amazingly full of joy.

Remember that you too can be hero to someone else. Yes, you!! You have the ability within you to do amazing things & to help others discover their own hidden talents. Be a hero for your children, your church or your friends. Show them the way to be more loving & grateful or show them what you've learned in your life that can help them grow beyond where they are now. Discover the hero within you, believe in yourself because I know you can do amazing things!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Find the hero within you & be the shinning light for everyone involved in your life!"




By TwitterButtons.com

Chart a course

I've always liked sailing. The feeling of being out on the water with nothing but a sail. The quiet of the ocean, the feeling of the wind & the thought it takes to get to where you want to go. To me sailing is very much like life. One minute everything is going great, the next minute there's no wind or a storm comes up.

I think it's important for all of us to have a course to follow in life. I try hard to have goals for each day or at least each week. I also try to chart a course for the rest of my life. But like sailing we can't get to stuck with the course we chart. To often we become rigid with the plan we have for our lives & we no longer feel the wind. Yes at times the wind can blow us far off course but sometimes the adventure to get back is worth the inconvenience.

Ok I'll stop the comparison for now but life is about living. We have choices everyday on how we're going to live our life. It's very easy to fall into a negative frame of mind & very difficult to get back to living a more joyful life. But because life is about living every moment to the fullest we should never become rigid with what we want in our life. Don't misunderstand me at times we have to move through difficulty with a laser focus but in order to truly enjoy life we need to begin to experience everything & adjust our life plan when we come across things we discover in our life.

To often, even when things aren't working, we stick with our plan & refuse to move away from it. I believe one of the great keys to life is to be flexible & to learn from everything that comes into your life. Just like when the wind changes if your sailing, you need to be willing to let go of what doesn't work in your life & move on to a better life.

Finally, don't get caught up in the negative. There will always be storms in your life. Don't remember how difficult the storms are instead give yourself credit for making it through & let go of the negative. To many of us have people around us that are stuck on the negative & their energy will bring you down quicker then you know what hit you. Surround yourself with positive loving people & let go of the negative things that happen in your life. Chart your course with love & flexibility & you'll sail into a more joyful life.

Till Tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Sailing is like life. Feel where the wind is & adjust your life accordingly."




By TwitterButtons.com

Talking with God

Do you talk with God/universe? Do you get answers to your questions? I remember reading the book "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch & wondering at the time whether it was even possible to talk with God/universe. And if we could talk with God/universe would we really get any answers or was this book just completely contrived? When I was younger I use to have a problem with over analyzing everything. My mind would look for some empirical proof that what I read was possible. As I've gotten older & learned to quiet my mind I've discovered that talking with God/universe can happen to anyone everyday of their life.

To me the true connection to God/universe is your soul. The soul is the window to all possibilities in your life but many of us struggle to hear what the soul is telling us. We so desperately want an answer that we never take the time to listen. Instead we react to the noise in our head. That noise can be deafening & very hard to ignore especially if you have an overactive mind like me. Learning to quiet the noise & move beyond your mind was the hardest thing for me to learn.

I've spoken many times before in this blog about the problem with the EGO. The EGO is all consuming for many of us & the only thing we know to listen to. But the truth is that although it's always the loudest noise & always craves attention we need to let it go & get past it. Once we can move beyond the EGO & the active mind we can begin to feel the connection with the soul.

This deep feeling of understanding that I choose to define as the soul is the quiet voice deep within you. It's never loud & sometimes it's very difficult to hear at all. But if you take the time to move beyond the "noise" in your life, you will begin to hear that small voice deep inside which is your soul!

Once you've made the connection to the soul you will begin your conversation with God/universe. You will often hear the answers to your questions within this small voice & if the answers aren't spoken to you by your soul, you will see signs throughout your life to answer your questions.

As with Clarity, the way I find this connection is to quiet my mind completely. What do I mean by this? I try to empty my mind completely. I try to get to a point where there is nothing happening in my head....just a blank feeling where my mind embraces the quiet. Once I find this quiet, I listen. I start by listening to my heart beat & then I move beyond that sound to the small voice inside. I rarely directly ask questions because it knows what I need to know & many times it will answer me with what I need to know. Regardless of what I hear I pay attention to it & I pay attention to everything that comes into my life after I've made this connection.

People may argue that this isn't the voice of God/universe & that's ok with me. I believe it is & I believe it's the only way to move your life forward in true harmony. Let go of the noise & discover your soul through this process & you will lead a more joyful life.

Until tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day "Discover the connection to your soul & you can begin your conversation with God/universe today!




By TwitterButtons.com