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."

Exercise & Spirituality

The longest hike that Heidi & I went on in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently was Bote Mountain. The hike turned out to be a total of 8.5 miles, on it's own that doesn't sound too bad but to reach the top of the mountain we hiked up 3,000 feet in a about 3.5 miles from the parking lot. The day was hot & the humidity was very high again. I was carrying a framed pack with our water, lunch & my camera in it....probably 20-30 pounds. The difficult part of this hike was that there were no switchbacks so we literally hiked straight up the mountain.

On the way up we enjoyed the scenery very much but were annoyed by a bunch of flies/gnats that seemed to continue to fly around our heads. As we hiked I thought about my deep connection with nature & the beauty all around me but as I began to get tired I started to understand why exercise (like yoga) is connected to several of the worlds religions. The endorphins that are released from physical exercise lift your mind to a new & amazing place. It allows you to move beyond the EGO & into a deep spiritual place.

I use to be a pretty good athlete when I was younger & although I had experienced this release of endorphins when I was younger the body/mind connection has never been clearer to me then in the last year. Exercise has become a bigger part of my life over the past year. I currently ride my bike between 18-25 miles a day & Heidi & I hike with the dogs about 4 miles a day. I have experienced this body/mind connection often in the past year but never to the extent I felt it on Bote Mountain.

I wish I had a bunch of great pictures to share from this journey but the sad part of our climb was that there was never a clear vista to look upon. We did see some lovely views through the trees but nothing that came out well in pictures. We sat on the top of the mountain for a long time & ate our lunch (a bunch of granola bars). As we sat there I reflected on the wonderful feeling of accomplishing this great climb & I began to realize the extent of this body/mind connection.

So, what's the point of this blog? Take care of your body, exercise & eat well. Your body is the shell that holds your spirit & the better it works, the easier it is to connect to your spirit. Exercise is one way to move beyond the EGO & listen to your true self (soul). The connection to your true self is the most important connection you can make & whatever helps you reach this deep level of yourself I encourage you to do.....for me exercise & silence are the two easiest ways to get there.

I hope you have a great weekend!!

Till Monday,

Bill

PS I am still looking for guest bloggers, if you're interested in writing something for my blog contact me at timberwolf12345@gmail.com

Quote of the day: "The deep connection to our true self can be realized through daily exercise. Take time to grow the body/mind connection & discover the joy in your soul."

Moving Beyond Praise

Let's face it we all like to be praised for what we do. Whether it be for our job, our athletics or our family life we all love to be praised. It makes us feel good. It makes us feel fulfilled. It can make all the hard work we've done worth while. I believe strongly in giving people praise in my life. I thank them for their efforts & try to find at least a few things I can specifically praise them for. But should we get caught up with the praise in our life?

The truth is, praise feels so good because it fulfills our EGO. The EGO needs praise to feel good. In fact if the EGO doesn't hear praise it can sometimes create it itself. As with all things to do with the EGO the challenge is to move beyond the feeling of receiving praise. I've always believed that we should acknowledge any feeling we have & if it's a good feeling enjoy it. Once we acknowledge the feeling we should always try to move beyond it to a higher level. This higher level is always our connection to our true self (soul) & by moving through the acknowledgement to our soul we can discover bliss. Bliss is the highest level of joy we can discover in our life. It is the feeling we can strive to obtain because once we discover true bliss it's easy to return to that state.

When we are in bliss we are unaffected by the negative emotions that come into our life. We are able to remain in a state of true joy. In some religions bliss is consider one of the highest states of being & only the truly enlighten can achieve it. I believe very state of being is attainable. I think the challenge for most of us is to sustain the higher states of being for extended periods of time. With work we can all discover bliss & begin to truly enjoy the life God/universe has planned for us.

Accept & appreciate the praise you receive in your life. Move beyond the praise & discover the bliss we are intended to know. Each one of us has the power to become whatever we want to be. Let go of the EGO & open your heart to love. Discover your true self & help change the world!!

Till Monday, have a great weekend,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Move beyond the praise in your life & discover the true state of bliss!"

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!!"

Letting Go!

In the past we've touched on how trying to take control of everything in your life can lead to many problems. This need to control everyone & everything can never be accomplished. We often delude ourselves into believing that we can control everything in our life but in fact we can't. The only things we can control are ourself & our reaction to others, everything else is out of our control. We may be able to influence others because of our relationship with them (i.e. Boss, spouse, parent)but we can't control them. In fact the more we try to control the people in our life the more they will rebel against us.

So how do we begin to let go? The process of letting go begins with the realization that we can't control everything in our lives. The next step is to begin to trust the people in your life. Realize that every person that enters your life is trying to do the best they can. This "best" may not equal your expectations of what's "best" in a given situation, but the truth is most people try to do their best in everything they do. The understanding of this fact can open your mind & allow you to let go in any situation.

The next step to truly letting go is to quiet your mind. This step has always been an issue for me. I have always had an overactive mind & to quiet it has taken a lot of practice. I have discovered the best way to quiet my mind is to focus on small or beautiful things in my life. I can focus on a flower & see the beauty in it. By changing my focus to this small flower my mind lets go of everything else. In contrast to the small I can look at the great expanse of the sky & again find beauty. This shift in focus has lead me to a more relaxed life. Through this process I am able to quiet the noise in my head & this leads to letting go of the stress of everyday.

The final step in the process of letting go is to take time to reconnect with your true self. It is the connection to your soul (true self) that will lead you beyond the noise of the world & into a place of self realization. The time you take for this connection isn't as important as actually doing it. There have been times in my life that I could only take a few minutes out of a busy day to reconnect to my soul but by taking this time I discovered a calming that helped me through the rest of the day. I've written previously on the process to achieving this connection but here's a quick summary:

Close your eyes.
Breathe deeply in through your nose & out of your mouth.
Focus on slowing your breathing down.
Shift your focus to your heartbeat.
Listen to your heartbeat.
Move beyond the sound of your heart & listen to the quiet voice deep inside.
Feel the relaxation of your entire body.
Continue to focus on the voice even if you can't understand it.
Spend as long as you can listening.
Open your eyes & reconnect with the world.

By letting go we find a calming of everything in our life. This calming leads to moving through the world with an ease & without stress. Trust in the process of letting go & discover a more fulfilling life!

Till Monday, enjoy your weekend.

Bill

Quote of the day:"By letting go & allowing the world to happen around you. You will discover an ease of moving through life that can't be matched. Let go today & discover true joy!!"

Power

The truth is power can be good or bad but today I'm not talking about power to control or even the power to lead. Today I want to discuss the power each of us have inside. Do you realize how powerful you truly are? You have the ability to change everything in your life with just your thoughts & the pure connection to your soul.

To me the soul is our connection to everything. It is the truest & most natural connection that we have. The unfortunate thing is we lose this connection as we grow because we discover our EGO. I've written many times about the EGO so let's just say that no matter what we do, the EGO will never been satisfied. It may be satisfied for the moment but never very long at all. It always wants more & always wants the next best thing. It takes us over so much that many of us spend our entire life just trying to make it back to our true connection with God/universe, our soul.

The journey of life is to rediscover that true connection with our soul. Some of us can, at times, reach that connection & when we do miraculous things happen. Everything in our life works in perfect harmony & just flows when we are truly connected to our divine source, the soul.

We have the power to not only change ourselves but to change the world around us when we have this true connection. Everyone today is searching for the quick & easy answer to make their life better. The answer is not something we seek outside ourselves. Don't look for what you think will make your life better. Instead look inside. Believe in you. Find the quiet within, discover the true connection with God/universe that is your soul. Sit quietly reflect on your life. let go of the pain of the past. Find the peace & love you have inside. Allow that love to fill you up & overflow to the rest of the world. Discover the joy of life in perfect harmony. Take the time to discover your true power within.

Till Monday, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Bill

Quote of the day:"Discover the power you have within yourself. Connect to your soul & rediscover the harmony we all can live in."

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!




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