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4 December 2007 |
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Such
a simple thing as the giving of yourself -- giving
thoughtfulness, time, help or understanding -- will trigger the
cycle of abundance.
Norman
Vincent Peale
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The
rare individuals who unselfishly try to serve others have an
enormous advantage. They have little competition.
Dale
Carnegie
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Rings
and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only
true gift is a portion of thyself.
Ralph Waldo
Emerson
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Making Our Dreams Come True
(an excerpt)
Jack Canfield
I don't think most Americans are living their
dreams. I think most Americans, Canadians, and the
people in what I call the "developed nations"
are leading lives that are comfortable to a certain
extent, but they aren't really living their dreams.
The reason they're not doing it is because they're living
in quiet resignation. It's scary. They have to
pay their bills, but they're not really satisfied in their
jobs. They're afraid to take the risk to go back to
school, to learn a new trade or profession, to start their
own business, to become a consultant--whatever their dream
is. I'll tell you, when people take my workshops,
within a year at least 50% of them are doing something
different than what they were doing the year before.
They may still be at the same company, but they're doing a
different job, or doing it in a different way. Many
people quit their jobs and start their own businesses,
poetry magazines, retreat centers, and so forth.
People who aren't satisfied with their lives are
usually blamers and complainers. They blame the
world for how it is and complain, "It's not my
fault. They did it to me." I'm not saying
it's even true we're 100% responsible for our lives.
I'm saying act as if we are. What we found in the
research is that people who act as if they are 100%
responsible for their lives start solving the things that
need to be solved. They say, "Here I am.
Where do I want to be? No one else can take me
there. What do I have to do to get there? What
about my current situation that I'm creating could I stop
creating?" You have to take this
position: the way the world is plus what I'm doing
is creating what I've got. I can't change the way
the world is. All I can change is what I am doing in
response to it.
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If you
are not satisfied with what you have, if you're saying,
"I want something different but I don't know what it
is," then there are four things to do. The
first is to look at people you admire or those people that
you're jealous of, and ask yourself, "What is it
about their life or their lifestyle that I am jealous
of?" It might be that they're in the arts, they
have more money, they're free, they're more creative, or
they travel more.
Number
two is to do a life purpose exercise, of which there are a
number of versions running around in seminars or in
books. If you discover your purpose is, let's say,
to share love, well there are a lot of ways you can do
that. You can do that as a parent. You can do
that as a seminar leader for the Course in Miracles.
You can do that as a massage therapist, etc.
Then you
can take an aptitude testing. There's a current
theory that says there are seven forms of
intelligence: spatial intelligence, emotional
intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, linguistic
intelligence, etc. Knowing which you're strongest in
can help lead you to a satisfying career.
The third
thing you can do is simply what I call "try-ons."
You say, "Okay, I know I'm not happy doing this, let
me try on something else." If you keep trying
on things, you'll find something that satisfies you
more. It's called the "leaning into it"
method. You lean into something to see how it
feels. Maybe you want to be a public speaker--start
giving some talks at schools. Maybe you want to
travel more--start by taking a long vacation. Maybe
you can be a travel agent. Maybe you can be a tour
guide. You have to do something that excites you and
that you have a passion for. There are so many
possibilities.
And the
last thing you can do is to make a list of ten things you
really love. When I first did that, I found out that
I love to hang around smart people. I love to
talk. I love to answer my mail, I love to read new
things and learn new things. When you're done with
your list, ask yourself, "What kind of profession
would allow me to do that?" You could run a
retreat center, run a publishing company, or have a think
tank organization. There are a lot of professions
that would allow you to do all the things on your
list. Then you lean into them.
A lot of
people think that the purpose of achieving goals is all
the goodies you get along the way: nice car, nice
house, getting to go on vacations, etc. And you do
get those benefits if you choose to purchase those
things. However, all of us know people who lost
them. Donald Trump lost his for a while. I
know an author who had everything he could possibly
imagine and then his house burned down, including all his
manuscripts; even his computer melted. But what the
author didn't lose, and what Donald Trump didn't lose, and
what you can't lose, is everything that you've become on
the level of skills you've developed, knowledge bases that
you've expanded, and the consciousness that you've
achieved.
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Offering
insight and revelation
in a manner that is sure
to bring positive change,
A Chorus of Wisdom is a
treasure chest of advice
that transcends the ages.
Bringing together the writings
of over 25 visionary thinkers
and including reflections
on each essay from the
editor, this book shows
how to create a life
filled with purpose,
peace and healing. |
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Cleaning
the Lens, Cutting the Cord
Gail
Pursell Elliott
Over
the years our world and workforce have changed
dramatically. People
treat each other more often as objects and opportunities
rather than as human beings who are worthy and entitled to
be treated with dignity and respect.
When I make this statement at the beginning of a
presentation, virtually everyone nods in agreement.
All
people want and have the right to be treated with dignity
and respect. No
exceptions. Everyone
agrees with the dignity and respect statement, especially
when it applies to themselves or to those they care about.
It's the no exceptions part that becomes
challenging. But
if it is not for everyone, it winds up being for no one.
Including us.
Treating
others and ourselves with dignity and respect is something
that most of us already know how to do.
But it is something that many of us forget to do or
have forgotten. We
must remember how to do this and do it once again.
It takes courage and practice to bring it
into the forefront of our awareness.
Many
people are walking around with a deep anger and
dissatisfaction inside of them and don't know where it's
coming from. When
we see road rage erupting and other types of violence,
when we turn on the evening news, we see more evidence of
this happening. It
becomes clear that we are on a collision course with
something extremely unpleasant if we don't clean up our
collective act with regard to the way we treat each other.
We
live in complicated times and some of the issues that we
face appear to be overwhelming.
But the solutions can be simple, though not simply
achieved. It
takes insight, awareness, and paying attention to what is
going on around us in each situation.
Taking a bit of time to reflect before acting.
Acknowledging the unique, precious, one of a kind event
that each of us is and then extending that to others one
person at a time.
How
do we complete this simple task if we ourselves are among
those who feel that anger and frustration?
That we have been treated as objects for too long?
That is a key issue.
We must begin with forgiveness.
This may sound impossible but it is the doorway to
recreating our world and helping to heal it.
There
was a poem written years ago by Grahame Edge of the rock
group the Moody Blues.
Part of it explains this process perfectly, and it
has always been a favorite of mine.
"And
he thought of those he angered
For
he was not a violent man.
And
he thought of those he hurt
For
he was not a cruel man.
And
he thought of those he frightened
For
he was not an evil man.
And
he understood.
He
understood himself.
Upon
this, he saw that when he was of anger,
Or
knew hurt, or felt fear
It
was because he was not understanding.
And
he learned - compassion.
And
with his eye of compassion
He
saw his enemies, like unto himself."
It's
been said that resentment or unforgiveness is like an
invisible umbilical cord that connects us to the person or
situation that has caused us distress.
It will continue to feed us anger, hurt and fear
through that connection until we cut it.
Forgiveness is not something that we do for the
source of what has injured us.
It is an act of setting ourselves free.
Of cutting the invisible cord so that we can move
forward with our lives looking at each day freshly, with
anticipation, and a new sense of independence.
More
importantly, it allows us to see ourselves with new eyes.
Each of us views ourselves and our world and
experiences through a personal lens.
The lens is often clouded, diminishing our ability
to see others and ourselves with the dignity and respect
to which we are entitled by virtue of who we truly are.
We allow the lens to be clouded by behavior,
experiences, comparisons, and expectations.
If
you have ever worn glasses or sunglasses that have become
smeared or dirty, or looked through a window that needed
cleaning, you know how you became used to looking at the
world through them, for usually the soil accumulates
gradually. When
the lenses are cleaned the new view is refreshing and
often surprising.
Cleaning
our glasses or sunglasses each morning before they are put
on is a regular habit of many of us.
Practicing forgiveness and connecting with our
inner sense of dignity and respect is an exercise in
cleaning the inner lens through which we view ourselves,
the people we encounter, and the situations in which we
find ourselves. This
also can be done each morning before we begin our day or
each evening before we go to sleep.
This
act is a powerful exercise in releasing us from the events
of the past, whether positive or negative.
It allows us to experience the present moment.
It does not involve the future, which is unknown.
It enables us to be fully alive.
Each
morning we awaken as new beings, for we cannot be what we
were yesterday even if we wish to be.
Each time we cut the invisible cord to
yesterday we have the opportunity to recreate ourselves
and express the true nature of what we were intended to
be.
Have
a Great Day and be good to yourself.
You deserve it!
Gail
Gail Pursell Elliott, "The
Dignity and Respect Lady" Innovations
"Training
With a Can-Do Attitude"TM
Box 552
,
Roland
,
IA
50236-0552
; 515-388-9600.
www.innovations-training.com
Bridging the gap between the Spiritual and the Bottom
Line. |
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Living
Life Fully, the e-zine
exists to try to provide for visitors of the world wide web a
place
of growth, peace, inspiration, and encouragement. Our
articles
are presented as thoughts of the authors--by no means do
we
mean to present them as ways that anyone has to live
life. Take
from them what you will, and disagree with
whatever you disagree
with--just know that they'll be here for you
each week. |
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How
to Guarantee a GREAT Day, Every Day!
Chris
Widener
A few years ago, I had a standing interview every Monday morning
on a radio station in the southeast that I enjoyed very
much. You can imagine though that it became routine.
So to make it a little more fun, the host got to where he didn't
even tell me the topic before we would go live on the air - that
put some excitement into it!
One week he asked me the following question cold, at the
beginning of the show: How can a person guarantee that
they will have a great day, every day? Now some may find
that a hard question but for me it was actually a very easy
question to answer (a little harder to actually live, but not
that hard). You see, I believe in principles that govern
our lives so that we can control our destinies and create for
ourselves the kind of lives that we desire. People who
live based on principles achieve what they desire while people
who live reacting to circumstances do not.
So, what were the principles that I gave to guarantee that a
person could have a GREAT day every day? Here they are:
Focus on Today Only.
Yes, we need to have long-range goals. But our focus must
be on today. My old equation is that your short-term tasks
multiplied by time equal your long-term accomplishments.
With that in mind, it is imperative that we focus in on our
short-term, to control it and make it what will eventually, when
multiplied by time, equal our long-term goals. Don't think
about tomorrow.
Today is enough trouble in and of itself. You can work on
tomorrow when it gets here. Instead, make today the best
day you have ever had. Realize that when you lay down to sleep
tonight you will have just given up the only shot you will ever
have at today. Today is now gone and it is only a
memory. You only get one shot at your today so focus
intently on making it all that it possibly can be. Focus,
focus, focus! When you focus on making today great, you
are on the road to guaranteeing that you will make your day
GREAT, every day!
Embrace Your Power to Choose.
Dwight D. Eisenhower said that "The history of free men is
never written by chance but by choice, their choice."
When your today becomes your yesterday, you will look back and
realize that that day was a result of your choices and your
choices only. "But wait, Chris, what if my boss
controlled my day? That isn't my choice!" But
it is your choice to work for someone else! You choose to
let someone else tell you what to do. You choose the feelings of
helplessness that overwhelm you when you feel bad that you do
not control your own destiny. The moment we realize that
we have a gift from God that the animals do not have, mainly the
gift of free will and choice, and when we realize the inherent
power within that gift, and ultimately when we finally begin to
exercise that gift, then and only then, will we begin to create
for ourselves a GREAT day each and every day! Take
ownership of the direction in your life. Make your choices
then carry them out!
Your Attitude is Up to You.
Yes, bad things may happen in your day. The pitcher for
Team Circumstances may have a tremendous curveball waiting for
you and you cannot control that. You cannot control what
others may do or say. But you do control your attitude.
Your attitude about whatever happens to you is up to you.
When something happens to you, you have the choice: Will
you let it get you down and depressed, keeping you from forging
ahead and making the day the best one ever? Or will you
say to yourself that no matter what happens you are on the path
to success and no obstacle will keep you from it? Will you
say, "Sometime you win and sometimes you lose - I guess
this time I lost"? Will you say, "Sometime you
win and sometimes you learn - I can really learn something from
this!"?
It is all in what attitude we choose. Your attitude is up
to you and when you choose to have a great attitude, you are
choosing to guarantee to have a GREAT day, every day!
Live Out and Act on Your Priorities.
So far we have dealt with internal perspectives, and that is
indeed the place to start. But the practical place is in
our priorities. If we want to make our days great, then we
have to live out those things that will by definition make our
days great. And those things are what are important to
us. They are our priorities. So each morning you
start out by saying, "What things are important to me
today? What are the things I need to accomplish in order
for me to lay down tonight and know that I lived a GREAT
day?" Then you put those in order of most important
to least important.
Don't do what is fun. Don't do what is easy. Do what
is IMPORTANT! Live out your priorities! When you do,
you will guarantee that you will make your day GREAT, every day!
Tomorrow, when you wake up, go through the four following points
and see if you don't make tomorrow a GREAT day:
Focus on today only.
Understand that I get to choose how today will go.
Remain in a positive attitude no matter what happens.
Live out and act on my priorities.
Do this and you will guarantee a GREAT day, every day!
Chris
Widener is an internationally recognized speaker, author and
radio host. If you are interested in booking him to speak at
your next event, go to http://www.chriswidener.com
or send an email to speaker@chriswidener.com
or call 877-929-0439 and ask for Hilary.
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We've
been looking for a way to recommend many of the books
and movies that inspire us to live our lives more fully, and
Amazon
finally has provided it. Check out our new bookstore,
which is full
of inspirational and motivational material. We'd also
appreciate any
suggestions you might have of what to stock it with--please
visit
our feedback page
to make recommendations! |
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Wallpaper! Just click
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Life
is an exciting adventure and most exciting when it is lived for
others.
Helen
Keller
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Are
you looking for inspirational and motivational reading material?
There are many great books out there that are made to lift you up
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Alone
in his car heading west, it's easy for Jason to feel sorry
for himself and mad at the world. But then he gives
a ride to Hector and learns life isn't as negative as we
sometimes see it. The friendship between this young
man and his 70-year-old passenger is an inspiring story of
love and of dealing with obstacles in life. It's a
story that you'll treasure long after you've finished
reading. Three
Cavaliers, Tom Walsh's second published novel, is now available in book form! Click
on the image to the left to order! |
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An excerpt:
“That was my first death.”
Jason
wasn’t sure what Hector meant.
It seemed obvious, but there was something in the
way that Hector had had spoken the words that made the
obvious explanation seem insufficient.
“Do you mean that was the first death you
experienced in your life?” Jason asked.
“No.
I mean that it was the first time I died.”
Jason
thought it over for a moment.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
Hector
looked over at Jason.
“Perhaps not,” he said simply.
“But perhaps it does.
I know that one day I was one person, but two weeks
later I was a different person.
The Hector Gutierrez Sanchez that I was one day no
longer was there the next.
I had all the same memories as that other person,
and people who had known me before still recognized me as
someone they knew, but I was not the same person.
The person I had been had died.”
“I
guess if you want to see it that way. . . .”
“Tell
me,” Hector said respectfully, “are you exactly the
same person you were five years ago?
Two years ago?”
“No,
not at all. I’ve
learned things. I’ve
grown. I’ve
been developing as a person, I guess.
But yes—I’m still the same person.
I mean, I’m still in the same body and all.”
“Perhaps
you see it that way only because you wish to hold on to
what you were. Because
you are afraid to let it go.
Perhaps you are frightened to let go of who you
were because you are frightened of who you may become.”
Hector spoke matter-of-factly, with no hint of
certainty that he was right, with no sign that he felt he
was teaching Jason something.
He was making no effort to convince Jason that he
was right, and that threw Jason off.
He didn’t know how to respond.
He was used to people telling him what they
believed almost as if they wished to challenge him, and he
was used to arguing his side, which he usually thought of
almost immediately. Here,
though, there was no challenge, no need for him to jump to
defend his own beliefs.
Rather, there almost seemed to be an invitation to
think more deeply, to reflect upon the words that Hector
had spoken and the thoughts they expressed.
It made Jason very uncomfortable.
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