When Life throws you a curveball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill

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

Love in the workplace

(no it's not what you think)





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

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

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill

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

Puzzles

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

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill

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

Earth Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope you have a great weekend, till Monday,

Bill

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

Birds

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill

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

Time

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

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill


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

Uncertainty

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

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

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

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

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

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

Till tomorrow,

Bill

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