Clues From the Universe

Clues From the Universe

Clues - signs you get them all the time. They’re there to let you know which direction you should take. The problem arises when you’re not always hearing or seeing it.

So what are these clues that you keep missing? They’re the initial thoughts that pop into your head telling you do this or don’t do that.  Sometimes you listen and sometimes you don’t.  You can call it your gut instinct, a knowingness or intuition.  Like any instinct such as the fight or flight response it’s there to protect and guide you.  Its only concern is for your well-being, be it emotional, mental, physical or spiritual. It’s the direct line of communication to your life force. How awesome is that!

Now all you have to do is listen to it. It takes practice.  Typically you’ll get an initial thought and bypass it by consciously disregarding the message as being invalid, nonsense or not making sense.

In reality it’s you inner protection gauge and it comes from a place of your personal authentic awareness.  It’s your spiritual side stirring you in a direction that’s best for YOU.  Your challenge is to listen to it and to start heeding its advice.  After all, it’s just you wanting to shine by being your authentic self. 

Top 10 Things about time and space

Top 10 Things about time and space – The Universe

The Top 10 things about time and space that most people seem to forget...

10. You chose to be here and you knew what you were doing.
9. There are no "tests" and you're not being judged.
8. Everyone's doing their best, with what they know.
7. You already have whatever you're looking for.
6. You are of the Divine, pure God, and so is everyone else.
5. Religion needs spirituality; spirituality does not need religion.
4. You're naturally inclined to succeed - at everything you do.
3. You happen to life, life does not happen to you.
2. Order, healing, and love belie every moment of chaos, pain, and fear.
1. Following your heart is the best way to help others.

The truth shall set you free,
The Universe

The Ultimate Goal

The Ultimate Goal

Is it a new house, fast car, great career, a healthy life, the love of family and friends, the respect of colleagues and the inner knowingness that you made a difference?

What if I told you it’s all of those things yet none of them?

You see the ultimate goal isn’t a person, place or thing. It’s a way of Being.

It’s such a simple word yet people will go to great lengths believing the ultimate goal is a person, place or thing only to find out that once the goal is achieved an emptiness take over and they’re off again looking for that three letter word.

It can be found anywhere if you take on a perspective of gratitude. When you are grateful for the growth you experienced with a set back as well as the happy positive experiences you’ve had you will have found the three letter word.  And what is this three letter word that everyone is seeking and yet keeps slipping away?

JOY – yep joy.

What you should be asking yourself when you go after that person, place or thing is “Will this bring me joy?”

You must ask yourself, “If I lose this person, place or thing will I still be joyful? Will I be joyful that I had this experience even if it doesn’t work out or doesn’t last?” Be in the moment with that person, place or thing. Grateful for the experience it has brought. And if and when it ends, be grateful for the experience because it let you live your life fully.

Choose to be joyful no matter what the outcome. 

Living Out Side the Box

Living Out Side the Box

I’ve never really like the term “outside the box”.  I didn’t know I was in a box but I guess that’s the point. You don’t’ know you are until you start thinking differently, viewing the same criteria but from another angle.

Now there are ways to get you to think outside the box - by accessing your right brain.  You can do something physical like run, play a sport, meditate or just take a walk.  Some people can access it by reading, painting, writing, listening to music or having an enlightened conversation.  Figure out what works for you. 

You know you’re accessing your right brain when out of the blue the solution to a problem you’ve been working on suddenly pops into your head and Ka...BAM there’s the answer. This has happened to me many times. I’ll be sitting at my desk working on a solution to a problem and not getting anywhere with it yet I can feel the answer is just eluding me.  I decide to take a break. I get up from my chair and take a few steps and ka...BAM the answer suddenly pops into my head. Four seconds ago I was stuck and now I have the answer.  Amazing!

But how do you go about living outside the box? The box represents your comfort level.  In order to live outside it, to excel and become what you know you can be, you need to have the courage, strength and perseverance to continue to grow.  And you know you’re growing and expanding your world when the thought of doing something makes you a bit scared yet excited at the same time. It’s what takes you to the next level. 

People don’t just fall into their greatness.

People don’t become fulfilled by playing it safe.

People succeed by their growth spurts, each one elevating them higher and higher to greater outcomes until one day they stop and realize it was all the little things that made them who they are.

I know living outside my own box is not always an easy thing to do. For me it’s much easier to fall back into the comfortable business aspect of my business instead of expanding my spiritual aspect.  It’s a conflict of interest.  My spirit says to speak my truth while my natural talents want me to fall back into the to-do list of running a business.

Guess who wants to win?

My spirit continues to push me to live outside my box.  I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit scary and uncomfortable but I’m getting so much more out of life. How about you?

Focus on What You Want

Focus on What You Want

There tends to be a lot of discussion and comments on the past and the present in relation to the future. And therein lays the problem in achieving our desired outcomes.

In order to move forward and create a better future, there must be more talk about the vision versus where we are.  By painting a picture in our minds of the vision that’s possible activates the Law of Attraction on a broader spectrum. Imagine not only just a few envisioning a brighter future but masses of people envisioning the same one?

Each time a positive thought enters your mind or a word in uttered about this vision, the masses start envisioning how it would look in their world. The wheels of imagination start spinning and soon actions start taking shape bring the vision into reality and WA...La, there you have it. That’s how it’s done. That’s how it’s always been done.

You first have a thought. You then start to build on it by creating in your mind how you could make it happen.  You ask around and get other people’s opinions and do some research. If it looks good you start gathering the materials or people necessary to make it happen.  At any point if it isn’t going as planned, a new thought arises to create an alternate scenario in which to still keep your ultimate vision intact.

It all starts with a thought that creates a vision.

As a country the people need a vision to focus on where they can visualize a brighter future.  They need to be able to paint the picture in their minds so that they can start to take action on it. They need the Law of Attraction to work for them. 

Mistakes, Missteps, Regrets – They’re Memories Made

Mistakes, Missteps, Regrets – They’re Memories Made

There is something out the ordinary about experiencing major setbacks and disappointments in your life. It’s as if when you’re not paying attention the Universe will put something directly in your path that you can’t avoid.  You must deal with it

. 

There are no coincidences so it must have been put there for a reason.  Some of the most time-consuming, annoying, and inconvenient setbacks have also been the most memorable because I learned something from them or because it allowed me to explore something new.

One of my most memorable setbacks was when I took a trip to California with my girlfriend. Our plan was to spend a week in San Francisco, hit the wine country, and on one of our last days to drive through Yosemite National Park on our way to Reno, spend a day there and then fly out the following day. It didn’t go as planned.

The drive into the heart of Yosemite takes two hours. When we got there we were just in awe of its beauty. The combination of trees, fresh water creeks and rock formations was breathtaking. It was then that I decided if I could live anywhere in the world, this would be it.

We walked and drove around the area but then needed to be on our way as the drive out of Yosemite also takes two hours and we had to make it to our hotel in Reno. I always did the planning of our trips and since we wanted to see as much as possible in two weeks our time frames were pretty tight. Part way out of Yosemite our rental car stalled on the mountain side. It took hours before anyone actually stopped to ask why two young women were parked along the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Sure vehicles went by but they were far and few between. By the time were heard them through the dense forest they had already gone by. Usually it was when a vehicle honked that we were aware there was another motorist on the road. Eventually someone going into the park stopped. They said they’d let someone know about us. A few hours later a tow truck came to bring us back to the main area.

We now had two problems. It was almost 10 PM when we arrived back at the main area and they wouldn’t be able to work on our vehicle until the next day. The second problem is we were stuck there and had no place to stay. The driver found us a cabin with community restroom facilities to use. Whew!

Since we hadn’t eaten since lunch we were starving so the driver took us to a grocery store. We had ten minutes to find what we wanted before it closed.

In a cabin with two beds and two dressers we had the time of our lives. In our haste to acquire food we neglected to get some utensils. There we were with a fully cooked chicken and no way to eat it but with our hands. We had chips, chicken and a cocktail to drown our mishap. We DID remember cups for the alcohol. We sat on our respective beds while trying to eat bare handed and laughing at how barbaric we must appear. We reminiscing and laughed like crazy. Eventually we decided to find the community restroom in total darkness. That was a challenge and a whole other story.

The next day our vehicle was fixed by noon and the tow truck driver asked how our night was. We told him we had so much fun. He then asked if we went to a certain lodge. “There’s a lodge with music!” No, we didn’t go there. Well then he figured we must have gone to another lodge. We were a bit embarrassed to say we didn’t know any of those places he mentioned and that we instead had a blast hanging out together in our cabin. He was a bit shocked.

We never got to see Reno. When I look back I don’t think Reno would have been as much fun as the time we just had.

In the end it taught me to slow down and enjoy the ride. The vacation wasn’t just about getting from one tourist attraction to another but to enjoy the scenery and the company I was with. Mission accomplished.

This is just one story I have about inconvenient setbacks that I’ve experienced. The one thing that stands out in all of them is that they may have been annoying and inconvenient but I always gained something out of it.

How about you? Are your setbacks really a mask for something else to happen in your life?

The Top 5 Ways to Know You are being True to Your Self

The Top 5 Ways to Know You are being True to Your Self

Do you sometimes feel irritable, angry, off, frustrated, agitated or out-of-sorts and have no explanation for it? Perhaps it’s because you’ve lost sight of what makes you come alive and are living someone else’s expectations of you instead of following your own voice.

“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.” ~ Janis Joplin

To live in consistent alignment with whom you are, how you want to be perceived and what you want to become takes courage and self respect to stand grounded in your own space.

So how do you know if you’re being true to yourself? What does it look like? What does it feel like?

Here are the top 5 from my perspective.

1.   You stand and walk more confidently.

2.   Your are filled with positive energy

3.   You seem to have a skip in your step and a song in your heart

4.   Your thoughts and words are in sync with who you are. No disconnect

5.   You feel good about yourself as if you are finally whole and complete

If you are not in being true to yourself here are some suggestions on how to get there.

-Think more of yourself and demand that your actions be congruent with the best of who you know you can be.

and

-Act each day in congruence with your self-defined image so that you feel authentic, proud, complete, fulfilled and trustworthy to show up in every situation as the unique, gifted true you.

Remember your self-image is and always has been chosen by no one other than you.

Create the vision for which you can be and actually be that vision.

The power plant doesn’t have energy, it generate energy. Choose the color of your own sky.

Confessions are Good for the Soul.

Confessions are Good for the Soul.

You confess all the time to your friends, siblings, parents, coworkers and even strangers.  Any time you do something you feel guilty about or to right a wrong your conscious says “I must tell someone”. It could be that you took some supplies from your work or that you said something bad about someone. For some reason you feel compelled to tell a trusted friend. Why? It makes you feel better about yourself when you can clear your conscious.

You don’t need to go to a Pastor, Priest or Rabbi to confess so you can feel better, you can do it yourself. It’s not about receiving forgiveness from someone else but about forgiving yourself. For some, confessing to a spiritual leader is part of their religious practice. What the spiritual leader does is give you a formal format and suggestions to help you allow you to forgive yourself.

Forgiveness is about allowing you to love yourself again. It’s about erasing any labels you may have put upon yourself and being nonjudgmental about your thoughts and actions. 

Sin isn’t a very good word. It has such a negative emotion attached to it as if it’s eternal. It promotes fear and primarily stops you from loving yourself. And for some it controls them. That’s not a very good way to live.

I always wondered way criminals would eventually have to tell someone what they did or give themselves up. When you look at confessing from this mind set it makes sense. They need to confess to clear their conscious so that they can feel better about themselves so they can love again. It’s a pretty messed up way to love but spiritually they need to do it.   

What are your thoughts on this?

Karma Works Like a Boomerang

Your Actions are like a Boomerang

It’s been said many times in different ways but it basically means the same thing.

·         Karma.

·         You reap what you sow

·         What comes around goes around.

·         The Law of Attraction. 

It all means the same thing and it bears repeating because people aren’t getting it.  You get back what you give. 

For example there’s the women who is upset when she’s not respected, chances are she’s not respecting herself because she’d allowing someone to treat her badly. She needs to respect herself enough to do whatever it takes to get address it or get away from that person or situation.

Or, the guy who vents that the world is racist yet doesn’t see that he’s racist against another group. He doesn’t get that if he wants the world to change, it starts with him. He must become what he wants the world to be.

Morgan Freeman gets it, “If you want to stop racism stop talking about it”.

How about the person who is always asking for a hand out but never takes the initiative to help others? Why should anyone care about you when you don’t care enough about yourself to improve your situation?

See a pattern here?

What goes around comes around. It’s the Law of Attraction at work.  You get back what you think about most.  If you believe you’re frequently disrespected than that’s what you’ll see through your lens, disrespect. Your view will be steered to the times you’re disrespected instead of remembering how many times you were respected. The same goes for anything else.

Call it what you will but life has a way of balancing itself out. It may appear that life is unfair but I’ve found that eventually the person or company who treated me badly, cut me off in traffic, discriminated against me etc. gets what they deserve. It may take a few years but they do reap what they sow.

 

Remember the boomerang is designed to return to you. 

Baby Love

Baby Love is Disguised as Self-Love

Babies are so easy to love even if they do keep you up at night and dirty their diapers several times a day.  Their miniature hands, feet, tummy and face are just too adorable to resist. They’re a mini you.

You find yourself thrilled with each new stage of development and going through great lengths just to get a little smile.  Who would have thought such a little bundle of sleepless nights could have so much power over you and yet bring you so much joy.

As she physically develops you start noticing which parent the features came from.  Even though you realize she’s going to end up with her daddy’s big nose you love her just the same.

You see the parts that came from you, the nicely shaped eyebrow, the long legs and even those ugly stubby toes of yours but you love her just the same.

And as the child grows you start to notice some aspects, talents, and personality traits of both parents.  Some you like and some you don’t but you love her just the same.

Isn’t it amazing haw you can love all those attributes, both physically and personality wise in your child but you have a hard time loving those same things in yourself?

Your child is a reflection of you and the other parent. Therefore, when you love your child even with all their ups and downs, in essence you love yourself.

Did you ever think of it that way before?

Mirror on the Wall

Mirror Mirror on the Wall who’s the …

What is it that you see?

Do you like what you see?

If you’re unsure on how to answer these questions a good exercise is to take a look at the people you do and don’t like.

First, think of someone you don’t care for. What is it about that person that you don’t like?  Pinpoint exactly what it is. For me there use to be a person in my life that would always keep tabs on what I was doing at work or reporting it to others, which by the way was none of her business. I did the same thing to her but I brushed if off because I was her boss.  But then I came to realize that the more she kept tabs on me the more I kept tabs on her even if it wasn’t work related. 

Here I was criticizing her when I was doing the same thing.  That was my own reflection in the mirror coming back to me which I didn’t like in myself.

Second, now think of an attribute you like in someone else.  I have a friend who is always giving me encouraging words and who is basically my cheerleader for my business. I also realized she did this for lots of other people and I really admire and am thankful for her support.

Then one day we were having a conversation and she complimented me on how I’m always encouraging and supporting others to be true to them and what a service I’m providing to them.  

Now isn’t that interesting? The same thing I liked about her is what she liked about me.

You could say you reap what you sow here but you can also say what you see in the world is actually a reflection of how you show up in the world. You notice these traits because they are in some form a part of what you do.  Sometimes it’s a nice reflection and sometimes it’s not so pretty.  If they didn’t have an effect on you then you have no emotion attached to it.

When you find yourself liking what someone else does or complimenting them then take notice, you likely have a similar attribute but it may not show up exactly like theirs.

Now the hard part, when you find yourself saying or thinking negative comments about someone else take a good honest look at yourself. Is it possible that you do the same thing in some way or another? That’s what I do and I find myself having less negative thoughts about others.

What does it do for me? It makes me more calm and accepting of other people’s behaviors. I realize they’re just being themselves.

What are your thoughts on this?

Your True Colors

Show Your True Colors

What are your true colors? Most people are only vibrating at a pastel hue when they could be a vibrant orange, red or blue.

Come alive. It takes not only knowing but acting on what makes you come alive that makes your true colors shine. Unfortunately what holds people up is the belief that what they want to do or be won’t be liked, accepted, respected or acknowledged. That is a shame because then it’s fear that is holding you back from being who you are and thereby letting your true colors come shining through.

The song True Colors sums it up quite nicely.

“You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It’s hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there

And I'll see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow”

So what colors will your rainbow be?

Turning the Table

Turning the Table

Turn the table is a term used most frequently used in the restaurant industry as the act of moving from one set of customers to another on the same table.  They need to turn the table as in how many times they can service the table with new customers.

You also can turn the table in your own life. Sometimes you have to just to turn the table and move on even if you haven’t come to a conclusion or closure in your relationship or career.  It can be a difficult decision to make because so often you want some type of closure and there just isn’t one coming.

It’s the times when you stay in a relationship hoping that things will change for the better or the career path you’re on just isn’t panning out.  Most often when people look back at those times they wished they would have made the decision to move on a lot sooner.  Fear of the unknown is what keeps a person hanging on.

There are so many ways to say it, move on, get over it, get out while you still can and turning table is just another way. When the taste for the endeavor already leaves a sour taste in your mouth you should have already turned the table otherwise you just end up building up resentment. And who do you have to blame for that, yourself for not moving on sooner?

Are you in a situation like that now?  Trust your gut feelings and do what’s best for you.  It’s the only way you’ll feel good about yourself. 

How Do You Show Up?

What the heck does that mean? Show up. When you need to have a conversation about a possible unpleasant topic, are you already upset about the subject? Do you assume there may be a dispute about it or are you gearing up for a confrontation? How do you enter that conversation then? Are you scared, tense, angry, frustrated, or apprehensive about what may happen? Whatever you are thinking, that is how you will show up. It manifests itself in our language, gestures, and body language. You could be saying all the right words, in your mind, and yet the other person is taking offense or doesn't understand your viewpoint. In essence you are giving mixed signals. If you are expecting a confrontation, your language will indicate that in subtle ways by choosing certain words that heads off a possible disagreement with your viewpoint, all the while standing rigid, arms crossed, and speaking in a cordial and professional voice.

What do you do then? Check in with yourself. Ask yourself what is the goal here. Is it to get your way or is it to accomplish something. Once you have grasped what the ultimate goal is, then you can look at the conversation for what it is, a conversation, nothing more, nothing less. Imagine entering into the conversation without no assumptions, expectations, or judgments. It is what it is.

Woody Allen said that 80% of success is just showing up. He meant physically being there but I think it could also be applied to how you're showing up in your interactions. The success of an interaction is based on how you show up for it. It’s also said that 90% of conflicts are due to your tone of voice while only 10% is for the conflict itself.

How you show up can make all the difference in the world on the outcome you receive. 

Stop Fighting Cancer – It’s a losing battle

In fact, stop racing too.  It won’t get you what you want- a cure.

Like many others I too have had people close to me die from cancer.  It’s not a pretty sight.  However, I’m well versed in the Law of Attraction to know that you get what you ask for.  Therefore, if you ask for a fight that’s what you’re going to get, a disease that is constantly fighting back new treatments.   If you want to race for a cure then that’s what you’ll get – a race.  The goal will always be out of your reach.  It might show up as finding new treatments only to discover another symptom has taken its place and now we’ll be racing to find a cure for it.  The cure is the good part of the declaration but not the race part of it.

Cancer isn’t the only area that could use a revamp in its language.  Politicians are always claiming that we’ll fight for this or that.  The media picks up on the verbiage and now we have war on terrisiom, war on drugs.  Let’s see what else can we have a war on?  And then we wonder why the world is in the shape it’s in. 

Mother Teresa said it best when she said she wouldn’t participate in a March on War but she would if it was a Peace March.  She understood the Law of Attraction.

Society needs to choose their words more wisely.  I catch myself all the time saying things I should have said differently. I can’t blame anyone but myself for the results because I asked for it.

A simple statement like “Let’s have a discussion” has a negative energy to it.  To discuss comes from the Latin word discuss which is to dash to pieces and quatere - to shake. Therefore, you’re implying that there will be disagreement and that likely wasn’t your intention at all.  It would be far better to say that we need to have a conversation or dialogue about this matter. There isn’t a defensive emotion attached to those two words.  They’re neutral.  It’s the same reason Coke, Kodak and Toyota have such a good brand image, there isn’t a prior meaning attached to those words.

So if you want a cure for cancer it would be better to say you’ll walk, run, bike etc for it but not race. As the saying goes, “Where attention goes energy flows”.  Let’s give the attention to the cure and not the fight.  Are you with me?

It Takes Courage to be Yourself

It takes courage to live your truth.  First off, what is your truth? Only you know for sure. It can get buried or mixed up with all that you’ve been taught that you’re not sure what part is you speaking and what part is a conditioned behavior.  Your truth is in there somewhere but you need to distinguish what values, passions and beliefs are yours and which are the works of other influences that you’ve picked up along the way.

It’s good when teenagers leave the nest to venture out on their own.  It gives them a chance to see the world from a different perspective.  They begin to discover who they are.  It’s as if the sunglasses come off and they can see clearly see what has influenced every aspect of their lives from their parents, friends and education etc.

It’s a time when they discover their truth.  They figure out what parts of what they’re learned they’re going to keep and which parts they’re going to disregard.  In the process they find their truth.

Your truth continues to evolve as you age because you’re constantly learning through each new adventure.  With every new experience you’re deciding what to keep and make your own and what to disregard.  A new understand takes place.  It’s you evolving.  How exciting! It takes listening to yourself without judgment and outside influences to clearly define your truth.

If you need help, I’m available to open up new realms of possibilities for you. 

Can I Get a Do Over?

Sure you can. You do it all the time.  It’s what you do with what you learned that counts.

Call me optimistic but I definitely like the, “Do Over” method of success.  A “Do Over” is when you get another chance to do what you initially attempted but this time you get a chance to do it correctly.

History is riddled with people who have had “Do Over’s”.  They didn’t succeed in their first, second or maybe even their third attempt but that didn’t stop them.  Each setback was an opportunity to evaluate what went wrong, make adjustments, and then attempt it again. Thomas Edison tried over 1000 times to create the light bulb. Imagine if he had given up. How many years would it have taken before someone else came along to invent it?

What I like most about “Do Over’s” is that there is no such thing as failure.  It’s as if you’re getting a free pass-go to the school and collect more knowledge- now go back and try it again.    With each setback you’re able to evaluate and refocus your energy on the achieving the task at hand.

It is only when you give up on the “Do Over” that you have truly failed for succumbing to failure drains the life blood of creativity that runs through your veins.  You must create and be better than your former self.  You must move forward by creating and it’s only through the “Do over process” that you continue to learn a new and better way to achieve your desires.

Therefore my friend, there is no such thing as failure as long as you continue to believe in “Do Over’s”.  

All You Need is Love

Boy the Beetles sure did get that right. It’s such a simple phrase yet behind it lies so much meaning.

Let’s break it down. It’s like happiness in that when all the expectations you may have for someone else or yourself doesn’t come through, if you’re still happy, in the end isn’t that all that matters?

To really to the jest of it let’s look at from a devastation point of view. A family has lost everything they have for from war, theft, natural disaster, or fire. I mean everything. All their material possessions are scattered, burned, stolen even their clothes are gone. They have no food or even utensils to make it if they did. No home, just the clothes on their backs. And yet they manage to carry on surviving. They take care of each other. Some would call it faith. When the outlook is so dire where do you go? You go inward to your heart and soul looking for the strength to pull you through. Amazingly with much searching you realize you have everything you need, the love of your family and friends. It’s a strong bond that gives you hope and pulls you through.

Now you don’t have to find yourself in such a crisis to have the same experience. People who go through drug addiction, abuse or a bad marriage can also drag you down to where you have little hope. However, just like the other examples you need to look within for the love that exists in all of us. Look around at all the people willing to help. That’s others showing their love.

Love, it’s the four-letter word to move you forward, calm your emotions, and ultimately pull you through. In the quiet still voice within is the Creator reminding you to love yourself because you’re worth it. The Creator doesn’t make mistakes. He gives you opportunities to grow. It may not appear so at first but in the spiritual world making it through the hard times pays dividends.

In the end love is all we need. 

Make the Most of What You Have

Making the most of what you have is exactly what Michael Oher the NFL player did. Who would have thought that scoring within the 98 percentile for protective instincts would lead to an NFL career?  That 98% instinct is what gave him the ability to protect the quarterback’s blind side.

Of course his journey didn’t come easy. He certainly didn’t start out life on easy street, on the contrary. It takes a lot of discipline and morals not to succumb to the pressure of the streets. It takes a lot of self perseverance to continue to move on with your life when you have no family to financially and emotionally support you. What kind of driving force does a person like that have to keep moving forward?  If those obstacles weren’t enough, he still had to overcome his lack of education before he could even think about playing any kind of sport but with the help of the Tuohy family and some key educators he became more than what he thought he could be.  So many people could see the heart behind the man that they took it upon themselves to help him out.

 

Football didn’t come naturally to him because he didn’t understand the game and what was required of his position.  Once he tapped into what he needed to do he was able to activate the key ingredient that makes him stand out, natural protective instincts.

Protective instincts are one of his greatest talents and he’s found a way to capitalize on it.  What’s your natural talent and how can you tap into it to shine like Michael Oher has on the football field?

The Goose and the Horse

The Goose and the Horse

Once upon a time, there was a goose who was plucking grass in a lush green meadow. In the course of her plucking, a horse came along and started feeding nearby. The goose was offended by the horse's actions, and proceeded to put him in his place, saying…

"I am, without a doubt, a more distinguished and complete animal than you, because your body is only good for one thing.

I, on the other hand, have the power to move on the land just as you can; not to mention that I am able to soar above your head as I please; and when I am in need of a bath I can refresh myself in the cool waters of ponds and lakes. 

I can be a bird, fish and land beast depending on my mood."

Upon hearing this, the horse snorted and neighed as though hearing a good joke. He replied, "It's true that you are perfectly ABLE to function in all three elements, but you aren't naturally gifted in any one of them.

You can fly, but you are so heavy and awkward that you could never rival the lark or the swallow for gracefulness.

You can swim on the surface of water, but you cannot survive underwater and glide as smoothly as a fish can; nor can you find your food beneath the waves."

And when you walk, oh… when you waddle your way around, with your flat feet and your long neck sticking out like a sore thumb, hissing and spitting at every other beast, you are truly a laughingstock among the land dwellers.

I admit that I am only able to move on land; but how graceful I am in my element! How well-built are my legs for my purpose! How powerful my entire body! How magnificent my strength! How blazing my speed.

I would much rather be only FOCUSED on one element, and be a GREAT FORCE in that, than be a goose in all!"

****************************************************

So what do you think is the message in this story?

My take is that you should be thankful and appreciate what you’re naturally gifted in. You will always find someone else that is better at something more than you but it doesn’t diminish the blend of talents that you possess.

Any other thoughts?