“The man at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”
- Vince Lombardi -

A lot of times we look at someone’s current position and lose sight of their journey to get there.  It can be quite tempting to think that they just got ‘lucky’ or were ‘in the right place at the right time’.  When something wiser inside of us knows that luck is just the moment where preparation meets opportunity.

The success others are experiencing isn’t on display to make us feel bad or insufficient.  It can be that if we choose, but it can also be an inspiration to persevere when we run into turbulence.

Where they are and how different it seems to where we are, is entirely dependent upon our current location and perspective.  At one time, that position would have been inconceivable, but now it’s not that much further.

The truth is that what really matters most in our experience is our personal progress on multiple levels.  Am I further along now than I was last week, last year?  Am I still on the right path for me?

Our journey to where we are in this moment didn’t happen overnight.  There were many steps from where we were to where we are.  There were a lot of stops in between.  A lot of obstacles, distractions, tangents vying for our attention.  A lot of the obstacles were quite compelling; tangible, real problems screaming to convince us that where we were headed wasn’t possible for someone like us.

Each step we take moves us either closer to or further away from the mountain top, whatever that is for us at the moment.  Our individual and collective mountain tops change over time as we keep revealing and understanding more of the Infinite.

Once we get to our current mountain top, we can look back and appreciate the journey.  Not all of it was puppies and rainbows, but we now identify ourselves as one who made it here.  With that certainty, we can relax for a moment, breathe in the joy, soak in the wide open view and then look for the next mountain and all we’ll reveal about and within us along the way there.

Life is truly wonderful!

“When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability. To be alive is to be vulnerable.”
- Madeleine L’Engle -

As we find ourselves focusing on Love a little more openly in February, it’s a good time to remind ourselves the prerequisite for Love, an open heart.  For a wide variety of seemingly very good reasons, along the way we’ve all shut our hearts to one degree or another.  

The pain of loss, betrayal, prolonged loneliness and some accepted beliefs and expectations about relationship justified the shuttering of our heart.  If I’m not vulnerable, I can’t be hurt.  That logic is about as useful as ‘I’ll show you, I’ll hurt me’.  

The truth is that we are all vulnerable.  Not only when we are opening to relationship, but each time we venture out in any way, shape or form.  Even our best efforts to avoid confrontation or just barely stepping over the line of our comfort zone, we are still vulnerable because Life is not static and Life will not be denied.  

What we identify as feeling vulnerable is really just another version of uncertainty.  Whenever we are trying something new, learning and expanding, we are engaging ourselves and Life on a new level.  

It’s not so much as to whether we are vulnerable, we are.  Maybe we’re a little more sensitive about it in certain areas more than others, but we are always moving through a completely new set of possibilities, even in the most familiar surroundings.  

It’s more about whether we’ll decide that being vulnerable is a convenient excuse to retreat from living fully.  We can sell that to ourselves for a while, but eventually, we realize that the next opportunity to open is upon us.

Let yourself open to Love, to Life, to yourself on a grander scale than ever before.  You can try to resist and amuse yourself for a while, but when you get the taste or remind yourself of the depth of being present and fun that Love eternally offers, you’ll start looking for and finding all the openings right where you are.

Life is truly wonderful!

“True genius sees with the eyes of a child and thinks with the brain of a genie.”  - Puzant Kevork Thomajan -

We usually think of a genius as the stereotypical mad scientist or someone completely different than what we collectively agree is ‘normal’.  But when you think back to the true geniuses, a lot of them displayed a childlike curiosity and a hyper-active imagination.  

It’s pretty easy to be childlike in our emotional interactions.  Throwing fits and temper tantrums, pouting, needing to get even.  Surely by this time we’ve figured out the inefficiency of those responses.

But keeping that childlike curiosity in the midst of a world that is being explained and dissected down to the subatomic level and out to the edges of the Universe, demands a lot more from us.  We have to remind ourselves that all the new ‘discoveries’ came from someone paying a little closer attention, wondering or imagining something beyond the current experience or observation.  

A child seems to see everything for the first time, even things that are familiar still bring a sense of wonder and examination.  Watch how they juxtapose the traditional use or position for something completely different, just to see what it’s like.  

Once we play with the current perspective, turning it this way and that, we can engage our true genius, our ‘genie’, and let the creative juices flow.  With the confines of current understanding set aside, our imagination can come out to play and the sky is the limit.  And as soon as we get to the sky, we realize that the sky is nothing more than the limit of our previous paradigm.  Now things really begin to open up!

Life is truly wonderful!

“FAITH is the head chemist of the mind. When FAITH is blended with the vibration of thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case of prayer.”
- Napoleon Hill -

“The only limit of our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Doubts.  We all have them at some level.  Even when things are going well, we will eventually come to the edge of our expanded comfort zone and start to wonder.  What’s next?  How will this work out?  Will this good continue?

We must continually be monitoring to determine the most prevalent themes.  Do we doubt the possibility of this actually happening or this actually happening for someone like me?  The key is to figure out if the doubt is a valid questioning of current approach and methods, whether it’s voices from our past or if it’s just based in fear of change of any kind.

In the bigger picture, doubts are just the nagging little things that keep bugging us like the tiny mosquito buzzing in our ear sounding much bigger and threatening than it really is.  Doubts are just negative expectations and each morning we choose which doubts, beliefs and emotions to bring forward into this day.

I’m not talking about bringing along wisdom not to keep beating our head against a wall; I’m talking about fear of all walls.  We address our doubts through inquiry and experimentation.  For until we actually try, everything remains theoretical.

It’s not a matter of whether or not we will have doubts.  If we’re moving away from the status quo in the least little bit, the changes in what’s around us will cause us to question what’s within us.  We must remind ourselves that what is within us is ready to transcend whatever is before us; if we’ve had success with something this big before or not.  Sometimes it helps to vicariously hitch a ride on the success of others who have already been out further on the learning curve.

As we identify and address our doubts today, we free up a lot of energy and attention to redirect into application and experimentation.  The results we get may not be all we imagined, but now we know a little more that we can add to what we already knew.  Now we know that what seemed impossible before was based upon a lack of knowledge and experience.  Now we can appreciate that the promise of tomorrow is realized in the actions of today.

Life is truly wonderful!

“Commitment is that turning point in your life when you seize the moment and convert it into an opportunity to alter your destiny.”
- Denis Waitley -

There is so much to do, so many opportunities coming before us in each moment.  The art of living is discerning which ones will be the most meaningful and be best for us and for those we love.

We can get lost in the plethora of choices, overwhelmed by the infinite nature of Life.  Each choice leads us in a direction and then we get to entertain a whole new set of choices.  It gets exponential without even going out 3 or 4 levels.

At some point we have to choose.  Even not choosing is still making a choice because we are passing up the current set of opportunities.  Some will still be available later, some will be replaced by another set of opportunities.  But at some point we choose a general direction, and then we’re off to the races.

When we commit to a certain thing, we are declaring to ourselves, our subconscious, to those around us that this is who we are, what we’re choosing to express for the next little while.  That is the moment that we move from observing an opportunity, considering a possibility to engaging it and becoming one who does this.

We look back over our life and we can see so many big choices, accompanied by big commitment that made big changes to our path and our current location and our current situation.  But each moment, each choice contributes something to our path, to our current experience, to our eventually destiny.

What we all ultimately discover is that every choice matters, the big ones and the seemingly small ones.  The big ones are just a lot of previous little ones in the same direction.  But there reaches that point where just one more little choice pushes us to the brink.

That is the point where it feels like we need gargantuan effort or a huge commitment.  The truth is that it’s no bigger effort or commitment than we’ve already been giving, but now we see all the progress made from the previous little decisions and how we are poised to really move on.  We are at a precipice and the next little push tilts us over and sends us down the hill.  All the previous effort and commitment built the momentum to this point and now we can let physics help us with the heavy lifting.

The really interesting thing about living is that no matter which hill we’ve climbed, no matter how long we’ve been climbing it, the next little push, so small in comparison to all the previous efforts, can be in a totally new direction, completely altering our destiny.

Remember this as you observe yourself this week.  Where will a little tweak, a slight nudge change your destiny and how excited you feel about who you are and where you’re going?  Just a little nudge changes everything.

Life is truly wonderful!

“Nobody can predict the future. The idea is to have a good grasp of the present.”
- Peter Drucker -

At points of new beginning, we look out at the expanse of time before us and wonder what’s next?  What are the previews of coming attractions?  We will try and predict the future, but that prediction is always biased through the filter of what we currently know and believe possible.  Which is always biased by our personal version of history.  

The future will be the result of our present starting point with a myriad of choices, reactions, external influences, and how much of our past we choose to bring with us.  Even with the most detailed plans and goal setting, the greatest of clear intention, the exact path between here and there will be meandering at best and veering way off course more often than not.  And that is never a bad thing, it keeps the spontaneity and deep curiosity active in our life.  

We know where we’ve been, with both the benefit of time and perspective and the warp of ego’s interpretation.  We dream of where we will be, what could be possible for us, with the fuel of inspiration and expectation.  But it’s how clear we are about where we are that is the fulcrum that provides the greatest leverage so we don’t have to do all the heavy lifting.  

Once we honestly access and accept where we are and what is currently going on, we have firmer footing for our next step.  That’s all we can really engage now anyway.  Yes, we need to have a general idea about where we want to go so that we can feed the inspiration and the expectation and keep on keeping on.  But the final destination is the result of thousands of individual steps.  That’s how you got here and that’s how you’ll get to wherever you go next.

So what is the next step?  Where will you be at the end of this day?  Is that in that general direction you intended?  Check in throughout the day, throughout the year and enjoy and celebrate the progress you’ve made.  Adjust where needed and use the fuel of what you’ve picked up along the way to keep on.  It just keeps on getting better from here.

Life is truly wonderful!

“The talent is in the choices.”
- Robert De Niro -

As we complete this year and move on to the next, we are where we are, individually and collectively, as a result of the choices we’ve made.  Those choices we’ve made over the last year, and longer.  But also the choices we’ve made since waking up this morning.  

No matter how confined and how hopeless the current situation may seem, we didn’t get here overnight.  There were a lot of big and small choices made along the way, combined with previous choices that end up looking something like this.  

That’s not to say that we get up in the morning and scoop up a big steaming pile to put on our platter for the day.  Not all of our choices are conscious or made from a Divine awareness point of view.  There are plenty where we don’t pay all that much attention because we’re distracted with other more pressing issues.  But the collective trend is always moving in one direction or another.  It’s just math.  

Making better choices now is really our only option.  It won’t magically make everything better in an instant, but it will start slowing down and reversing the trend.  

The good news is that we don’t have to spend the next 10 years in a singular direction to correct our course of the last 10 years.  We can quickly compensate for our stab it and steer navigation with just a few solid choices in a new direction. 

As we head in that general direction, so many new choices that are even more fun will start to show up.  Wisely choosing a few of those in the next batch, builds momentum and things start falling into place.   

Again, it doesn’t suddenly change the landscape, it may even make us realize that things are worse than we realized when we were dazed and confused.  But too often we identify our worth, our ability, with our previous choices and our current location.  There is that within us that is greater than anything we’ve known, done or believed up to now.  The talent is reminding ourselves and each other of that Intelligence we are eternally expressing…especially when it seems to be nowhere in sight, obscured by recent choices.  

What really matters is not so much where we’ve been, but where we choose to go from here.  There are so many choices, and no matter how loudly those around you are clamoring for you to hurry up and come on and move already, feel free to take an extra moment to remember some really great choices you’ve already made, remind yourself of that talent that is still available to you, and choose several that really light your fire!

Life is truly wonderful!

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; love more and all good things will be yours.”

- Swedish Proverb -

A lot of wisdom in a couple of lines, but then it is staying true to its own advice of talking less and saying more.  Truth that is good throughout the year, but especially now as we celebrate the closing of the year with holidays of sharing.  Great truth for a new start to a new year.

We are always in a balancing act between fear and hope, gathering more or letting go.  It’s an art as much as it is a science.  Too often we only look at the math of the equation and lose sight of the cost of fear, over indulging, complaining, chatting away with no real communication.

The cost of more is not having room to receive greater good.  Too much fear and we lose sight of hope and lose the energy to pursue Life’s possibilities.  Too much food and there is no room for dessert.  Too much complaining and we become unable to celebrate even the smallest good.  Talking just to fill the void means we miss the wisdom softly speaking to us in the silence.

The common thread in all of these is the personal choice of where we are directing our energy.  Not just ‘where’ we are directing it, but also ‘how’ we are directing it.  Consciously or unconsciously?  From a place of ego or from a place of soul?

The answer is in the final statement…love more.  When we express love to whoever and whatever is before us in this moment, we will move from love to clarity and purpose, from indulgence to savoring, from grumble to gratitude, from fear of awkward silence to being present and speaking our heart.

Love more, and then love more…and then love even more.  The good we all desire for ourselves and for those around us will not be something to gain or gather, we will realize and reveal a greater Good that always was here, within us, within all.  Love more and celebrate the Light, Beauty and Joy, our greatest Good of all!

Life is truly wonderful!

“Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart.”

 - Native American Proverb -

As we get close to concluding the holidays, for this time around anyway, be aware of those moments where you fall into the lure of the advertisements and the glamour shots of the products.  So much of that madness is aimed right smack dab at the ego and the temporary reward may be long gone before the first credit card bill arrives in Jan.

There is a lot that catches our eye, but if you think back to the times, the people, the projects that still mean something to you now, it wasn’t your ego eye that was caught, but your open heart.

This season is more about opening ourselves up to bigger ideas and celebrating Good.  The Good we find around us, in those we know and love, the Good we discover and reveal within ourselves.  The funny thing is that the more we look for, the more we find, seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before…

When we find that Good that connects our heart with the hearts of others, then we will reveal an unstoppable energy and focus.  Clarity and purpose that will not be distracted by the next shiny thing to come along.

Open your heart and then you’ll be looking through eyes of Love and those are always the most fashionable glasses that go with any outfit.
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Life is truly wonderful!