Most of the topics we talked about over the past month have been very active ways at starting the change in your life to a more joyful/positive life. I've always considered myself a person of action so that's the easiest way for me to start. But, there's another very important tool to remember & that is silence! Just being quiet, clearing your mind & listening to your soul is a great way to center yourself & remove all the noise around you.
I never been into meditation, I know it works wonders for some people but I haven't found a practice that works for me. I instead just be quiet, one of my favorite places to be quiet is in the Smokey's. Heidi & I try to go down there as often as we can & I love to sit out on a trail or just on the deck where we're staying & just take in the beauty around me. When I'm not there I envision being there when I take time for my quiet moments, because for me the beauty & quiet just fills me up.
The reason why silence is important is because it slows us down & helps us to refocus our energy. Life is lived in the pauses, it's the pauses that give life more definition. Like the the pauses between notes of music. Without the pauses all we are is action & movement. Life is made up of opposites without the bad we wouldn't know the good. I feel this is especially true with silence.
We all live such busy lives & it's hard to take time for yourself but as with morning gratefuls & your vision board please take time to just be silent. The peace you find in the quiet will lead forward to a more joyful/positive life.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day "Live in the moment because the pauses between breaths are what lead you to your next adventure. Every moment has meaning."
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Unlearn
To follow up on yesterday & the idea of looking at the world through a child's eyes. I wanted to talk a bit about the stuff we are taught as we grow older. There's a song from the musical "South Pacific" called "You've got to be carefully taught". Here are the lyrics:
You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
This song has always rung true to me because as I said yesterday a child looks at the world as a wonder. Everything about it is joyful, the discovery of new things is awesome.
So the challenge as we get older & as we try to return to that the childlike vision of the world is to "unlearn" all the things we have been taught. We have to work hard to let go of the negative vision we've been told of the world, as most of it isn't true. We are all connected and if we all make an effort to let go of the lies we've taught throughout our lives & return to the purity of a child we will be in a better world.
The final part of trying to return to being a child is to find time to play. Give yourself time as often as you can to rediscover the joy of playing. Whether it's a sport you like, a game you've always loved or doing something creative, make time to play & you'll fill your soul with joy. Resist the urge to say you can't make time for play. Remember small steps create new habits so if you make the time to play you'll continue to do it.
Let go of what you've been taught, belive that every moment is joyful.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day "Open your mind & unlearn the lies you've been taught in your life. Find joy in every moment, be a child."
Here's Mandy Patinkin singing "You've got to be carefully taught"Quote of the day "Find the beauty in everything in your life & your life will be more beautiful"
You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
This song has always rung true to me because as I said yesterday a child looks at the world as a wonder. Everything about it is joyful, the discovery of new things is awesome.
So the challenge as we get older & as we try to return to that the childlike vision of the world is to "unlearn" all the things we have been taught. We have to work hard to let go of the negative vision we've been told of the world, as most of it isn't true. We are all connected and if we all make an effort to let go of the lies we've taught throughout our lives & return to the purity of a child we will be in a better world.
The final part of trying to return to being a child is to find time to play. Give yourself time as often as you can to rediscover the joy of playing. Whether it's a sport you like, a game you've always loved or doing something creative, make time to play & you'll fill your soul with joy. Resist the urge to say you can't make time for play. Remember small steps create new habits so if you make the time to play you'll continue to do it.
Let go of what you've been taught, belive that every moment is joyful.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day "Open your mind & unlearn the lies you've been taught in your life. Find joy in every moment, be a child."
Here's Mandy Patinkin singing "You've got to be carefully taught"Quote of the day "Find the beauty in everything in your life & your life will be more beautiful"
Monday, July 20, 2009
Beauty
So I know what you're thinking, What does beauty have to do with living a more joyful/positive life? Well to me, beauty has to do with becoming more aware of everything in your life. We all remember the old saying "Stop & smell the roses", well as part of our opening up & being grateful in our lives, is finding the beauty in everything around us.
It can be as simple as appreciating that rose in your garden or on your walk from you car to the office. Or it can be as complex as finding the beauty in each & every person you meet. Find the beauty in everything & the whole world will feel more beautiful. As with everything else we've discussed this shift will have a ripple effect in your life. Before you know it everything in your life will become more beautiful.
I know this sounds simple & in a lot of ways it can be simple but the truth is looking at things from a different perspective is an amazing way to grow. I like to think about it as seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Everything in a child's eyes is full of wonder & that joy is the true appreciation for the joy in their life.
Getting back to the wonder of the world through a child's eyes & shedding the cynical look we develop as an adult will truly change your life & bring more joy to you.
I've been on a music kick & the song that reveals this truth the most to me is "It's a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong, enjoy it at the bottom.
Lastly, my original goal for this blog was for it to become more interactive then it has been. If there's something that's important to you that you'd like me to write about, please feel free to leave a comment here or @ me on twitter @timberwolf123.
Have a great Monday,
Bill
Quote of the day "Find the beauty in everything in your life & your life will be more beautiful"
It can be as simple as appreciating that rose in your garden or on your walk from you car to the office. Or it can be as complex as finding the beauty in each & every person you meet. Find the beauty in everything & the whole world will feel more beautiful. As with everything else we've discussed this shift will have a ripple effect in your life. Before you know it everything in your life will become more beautiful.
I know this sounds simple & in a lot of ways it can be simple but the truth is looking at things from a different perspective is an amazing way to grow. I like to think about it as seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Everything in a child's eyes is full of wonder & that joy is the true appreciation for the joy in their life.
Getting back to the wonder of the world through a child's eyes & shedding the cynical look we develop as an adult will truly change your life & bring more joy to you.
I've been on a music kick & the song that reveals this truth the most to me is "It's a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong, enjoy it at the bottom.
Lastly, my original goal for this blog was for it to become more interactive then it has been. If there's something that's important to you that you'd like me to write about, please feel free to leave a comment here or @ me on twitter @timberwolf123.
Have a great Monday,
Bill
Quote of the day "Find the beauty in everything in your life & your life will be more beautiful"
Friday, July 17, 2009
Time
Many of you have asked me how I decide what I'm going to write everyday. The truth is that I try to stay open & let things come to me. Sometimes, like this morning, I wake up with the idea in my head.
So the title of today's blog is "Time" & I think it's an important thing to talk about. Once you start to practice the things we've talked about, you need to understand that although these practice will definitely improve your life. That with life has it's own flow. You will still have good times & bad times just as there are different seasons. These practices will make the fallow times easier but the fallow times will still be there. Why is this? Because to appreciate the best, we have to understand the bad. The song that always said this the best to me (& the one I woke with in my head this morning) is The Byrds "Turn, Turn, Turn" Here are the lyrics:
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time for peace, I swear its not too late
There is no magical cure to make life always be the best. But the more you work on the practices we've discussed the lows will be less & the highs will be higher. It's an amazing thing to be connected to God/universe & the feeling you get being in the flow is incredible. Continue your work and I'll be here to help.
Have a great weekend, see you Monday,
Bill
Quote of the day "Life is full of mystery, enjoy the good & the bad for it's the bad times that make us appreciate the good"
THE BYRDS "TURN, TURN, TURN"
So the title of today's blog is "Time" & I think it's an important thing to talk about. Once you start to practice the things we've talked about, you need to understand that although these practice will definitely improve your life. That with life has it's own flow. You will still have good times & bad times just as there are different seasons. These practices will make the fallow times easier but the fallow times will still be there. Why is this? Because to appreciate the best, we have to understand the bad. The song that always said this the best to me (& the one I woke with in my head this morning) is The Byrds "Turn, Turn, Turn" Here are the lyrics:
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time for peace, I swear its not too late
There is no magical cure to make life always be the best. But the more you work on the practices we've discussed the lows will be less & the highs will be higher. It's an amazing thing to be connected to God/universe & the feeling you get being in the flow is incredible. Continue your work and I'll be here to help.
Have a great weekend, see you Monday,
Bill
Quote of the day "Life is full of mystery, enjoy the good & the bad for it's the bad times that make us appreciate the good"
THE BYRDS "TURN, TURN, TURN"
Thursday, July 16, 2009
EGO
Ok, it's time to start to deal with the large white elephant in the room with us....LOL. EGO is a tough subject and that's one of the reasons I've waited to talk about it. Everything we do as human beings is influenced by our EGO's. It's one of the toughest things to realize & even harder to get past. I know for me personally it's been a hard evolution. As many of you may know, I spent nearly 10 years as a professional actor & much more time then that in the theatre, so EGO has always been apart of my life.
Fortunately for me through the personal growth I've done over the past twelve years I've learned to recognize when it's my EGO that's talking. I usually can get past the immediate need for gratification that the EGO needs to move onto a better place.
So what is EGO, we probably all think we know but one of the definitions I like the best is from Wayne Dyer, Edge Out God that's really what we're doing when EGO is involved. We are all divine beings created by a divine being & as such we are all connected but as we grow as individuals we start to worry about what "I" want & we move away from our divine nature to satisfy this hunger that is our EGO. The unfortunate thing is that no matter how hard we try we can never get enough or have enough to satisfy the EGO.
The EGO has an insatiable desire, it wants more of everything...more recognition....more money....more things.....more friends.....ok I'll stop now you get the idea. We can never satisfy the EGO....so why try? Why not instead move past the EGO!
This is not an easy task. The first step is to realize that the EGO always talks first & the loudest. It wants & needs your attention & it will continue to try & get your attention back. So, for me, I try to acknowledge the EGO & let it know that I hear what it's saying...sometimes that will quiet the EGO enough to get past it. The next thing I try to do is move onto how anything makes me feel, not in my head, but deep in my soul. Usually, the feeling of the EGO is an empty feeling. In your head it my sound good but in your heart & soul it will feel empty. Feel that true feeling deep inside before you act.
Always try to connect with your true feelings, this one task that with practice will lead you to a more joyful/positive life. The EGO will always lie to you, your true feelings will not.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the Day "The EGO has an insatiable desire for everything. Connect to your true feelings, let go of the EGO & be more joyful."
Fortunately for me through the personal growth I've done over the past twelve years I've learned to recognize when it's my EGO that's talking. I usually can get past the immediate need for gratification that the EGO needs to move onto a better place.
So what is EGO, we probably all think we know but one of the definitions I like the best is from Wayne Dyer, Edge Out God that's really what we're doing when EGO is involved. We are all divine beings created by a divine being & as such we are all connected but as we grow as individuals we start to worry about what "I" want & we move away from our divine nature to satisfy this hunger that is our EGO. The unfortunate thing is that no matter how hard we try we can never get enough or have enough to satisfy the EGO.
The EGO has an insatiable desire, it wants more of everything...more recognition....more money....more things.....more friends.....ok I'll stop now you get the idea. We can never satisfy the EGO....so why try? Why not instead move past the EGO!
This is not an easy task. The first step is to realize that the EGO always talks first & the loudest. It wants & needs your attention & it will continue to try & get your attention back. So, for me, I try to acknowledge the EGO & let it know that I hear what it's saying...sometimes that will quiet the EGO enough to get past it. The next thing I try to do is move onto how anything makes me feel, not in my head, but deep in my soul. Usually, the feeling of the EGO is an empty feeling. In your head it my sound good but in your heart & soul it will feel empty. Feel that true feeling deep inside before you act.
Always try to connect with your true feelings, this one task that with practice will lead you to a more joyful/positive life. The EGO will always lie to you, your true feelings will not.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the Day "The EGO has an insatiable desire for everything. Connect to your true feelings, let go of the EGO & be more joyful."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Smile
Yes, just smile! You'll be surprised at the results. I'm not much for tributes but last week I watched the Michael Jackson tribute because so many people on Twitter were talking about it. I expected to watch a small part of it & then turn it off but I actually got pulled into it because it was so well done. I ended up watching the whole thing. That even surprised me.
First, I should say that I'm not a big "celebrity" watcher type of person. I appreciate all celebrities for their talent and realize that they are just people like you & me, that have their own problems & issues to deal with. I try hard in my life to treat everyone the same I try hard accept the good in everyone and forgive the flaws/problems. So what's the point? Well one of my favorite parts of the tribute was Jermaine Jackson's performance of "Smile" (if I've done it right it will be at the end of this blog).
The Lyrics of this song were written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons with the music by Charlie Chaplin. Here are the original lyrics:
Smile
tho'
your heart is aching,
Smile
Even though it's breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky- You'll get by,
If you
Smile through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through- For you.
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide ev'ry trace of sadness,
Altho' a tear may be ever so near,
That's the time you must keep on trying,
Smile- What's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile.
I've always liked this song & I thank Michael for bringing it back into my life. The impact of a smile on someone elses life can be amazing. But the point of this song is the impact on your own life. When you smile and really try and make the smile genuine it can actually change your day. I believe this is because a true, because a smile, like a real laugh, comes from deep inside you. It's a connection from your soul to the world. That's why a smile can light up a room. It's a nice easy way to try & feel better when you're down....try it.....Just Smile!!!
Here's Jermaine:
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day "A smile is a window to the soul. Smile today & brighten the world with your soul
First, I should say that I'm not a big "celebrity" watcher type of person. I appreciate all celebrities for their talent and realize that they are just people like you & me, that have their own problems & issues to deal with. I try hard in my life to treat everyone the same I try hard accept the good in everyone and forgive the flaws/problems. So what's the point? Well one of my favorite parts of the tribute was Jermaine Jackson's performance of "Smile" (if I've done it right it will be at the end of this blog).
The Lyrics of this song were written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons with the music by Charlie Chaplin. Here are the original lyrics:
Smile
tho'
your heart is aching,
Smile
Even though it's breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky- You'll get by,
If you
Smile through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through- For you.
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide ev'ry trace of sadness,
Altho' a tear may be ever so near,
That's the time you must keep on trying,
Smile- What's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile.
I've always liked this song & I thank Michael for bringing it back into my life. The impact of a smile on someone elses life can be amazing. But the point of this song is the impact on your own life. When you smile and really try and make the smile genuine it can actually change your day. I believe this is because a true, because a smile, like a real laugh, comes from deep inside you. It's a connection from your soul to the world. That's why a smile can light up a room. It's a nice easy way to try & feel better when you're down....try it.....Just Smile!!!
Here's Jermaine:
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day "A smile is a window to the soul. Smile today & brighten the world with your soul
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Change
I've always embraced change, in fact I've been called a "change agent" at a couple of jobs that I've had because I'm always looking for a new way to do things. To me change keeps things fresh & alive. Most people though are afraid of change & in fact will fight it to stay in their comfort zone. Are you afraid of change?
Since I started this blog with the intention of helping people to have a more joyful/positive life, I thought it was time to talk about change. Most people prefer to keep their life in a comfortable routine. They do the same thing day in and day out & rarely embrace change of any kind. Change will happen in you life with or without you so why not embrace the change.
The bottom line is that to enjoy a more joyful/positive life you need to make the decision that things will be different in your life. You need to let go of all the old ways of doing things. Step outside of your comfort zone and accept a new way of living your life. Changing your way of thinking is up to you. As with the "Internal Dialogue" we discussed yesterday, look at the way you think about everything.
Let go of the old arguments, stop making excuses, the only one who can change your life is you! Be a change agent in your own life and enjoy the benefits. The universe/God will respond to you if you take the first step. I welcome you on this path of change.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day "With a single change in thought, your life can be more joyful. Embrace change, today!"
Since I started this blog with the intention of helping people to have a more joyful/positive life, I thought it was time to talk about change. Most people prefer to keep their life in a comfortable routine. They do the same thing day in and day out & rarely embrace change of any kind. Change will happen in you life with or without you so why not embrace the change.
The bottom line is that to enjoy a more joyful/positive life you need to make the decision that things will be different in your life. You need to let go of all the old ways of doing things. Step outside of your comfort zone and accept a new way of living your life. Changing your way of thinking is up to you. As with the "Internal Dialogue" we discussed yesterday, look at the way you think about everything.
Let go of the old arguments, stop making excuses, the only one who can change your life is you! Be a change agent in your own life and enjoy the benefits. The universe/God will respond to you if you take the first step. I welcome you on this path of change.
Till tomorrow,
Bill
Quote of the day "With a single change in thought, your life can be more joyful. Embrace change, today!"
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