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. 

The Key to Your Success

The Key to Your Success

Education? It certainly helps but that’s not it.

Connections? Again it helps but that’s not it.

Money? Nope. 

It’s the internal conversation you have with yourself that manifests itself through your thoughts, words and ultimately your actions. It’s the conversation you have with the people around you.  What you think, feel, and believe you can achieve is verbalized constantly. Therefore, if you want to be successful your thoughts, feelings, and language must match that success level as if you’re already there. We create our world with our thoughts and words.

But how do you go about doing that you might ask. You can start by changing your everyday language to become the powerful positive force you wish to become. You may not be aware of it but our language is filled with many negative words which then creates that what we just said we didn’t want.

Our brains are a positive producing organism which means that is doesn’t process negative commands. Your unconscious mind cannot process what is not.  It simply responds to the key words you give it. Children under seven are inclined to respond like the unconscious mind.  Tell a child not to touch something or not to drop something and what do they do, touch it, drop it?  

Here are some examples of what I mean and how to change it.

1. Its hard becomes - It’s not easy – It’s easy.

2. I’m broke becomes - I’m not rich – I’m rich.

3. I’m afraid becomes - I have no courage – I have courage

4. I’m sick becomes - I’m not very healthy – I’m very healthy

Here are some more common expressions that should be changed to more high energy positive language.

No problem – Thank you

Problem – Opportunity

Bad/Difficult – Challenge

Trying –Working on

Failure – Learning experience

If – When

Don’t’ /Can’t – Will

Undecided – Choice

Strange / Weird – Unique

Now let’s see if you can catch yourself in time to change your language to more high energy words.

It starts by changing how you think. Eventually with enough practice your actions will start to mimic your language. As a side benefit, you’ll notice that you’ll start to feel happy about life in general. It’s a win – win scenario for your key to success. 

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

Save the Earth

I’ve always wondered why some very healthy people, by all accounts, will fall ill and never recover while some old crusty guy chain smokes and drinks himself into old age without much effect on him.

It doesn’t seem fair, does it?

I think I found the answer.

Mindset

The crusty old guy doesn’t buy into the effects of his bad habits. He doesn’t give them his attention. Instead he believes everything will be okay and that he’ll be just fine, thank you very much. On the other hand, the healthy person “believes” that cancer can kill and some foods are bad for you. Then when something happens to them they believe it will have the effect they believe it will have by what’s been promoted.

Skeptical, it’s the law of attraction at work? You attract what you think about. It comes down to what you believe. When you’re positive it shows up in all that you do from the way you walk, talk and present yourself. It has to. It’s a reflection of your inner mindset.

Need proof?

Check out the Messages in Water videos by Dr. Emoto.  It highlights the effect positive words and intentions have on water at a cellular level versus negative ones. By simply voicing good thoughts, blessing and praying, the chemistry of the water changes. Freaky! If that can happen to water what effect does that have on the rest of the planet? What percentage of plants, animals and humans are made up of water? I don’t know the exact amount but I know it’s a lot and none of us could survive without it.

Imagine simply by praying, blessing or having good intentions about your food will change the cellular structure so much so that what was once seen as unhealthy will only have a good effect on you.

Someone who was concerned about the effect of fracking on water asked the Light collective, channeled by Kathryn Harwig, if it contaminated the water making it unsafe to drink.  Their response was that all water is good. If you believe it is bad for you it will be, but it is all good.

Lesson – if you want to save the earth perhaps having gratitude for what it provides would be a better option. 

Want to Have a Green Thumb?

Have you ever noticed that people who are talented at growing plants talk to them?  I always thought it was just coincidence until I made the connection between Professor Emoto’s Messages in Water and the amount of water in plants.  If you’ve never seen the video go now to view it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvzsjcBtx8

The message basically states that positive words and music have a profound effect on water crystals by producing beautiful or not so pretty crystals based on the type of words taped to the container or music played nearby.  When you take into account that the earth is 70% water and so are humans then what kind of effect are the language and music you’re listening to having on your body?  What effect does the word “love” tattooed on someone’s body have versus “hate”?  His work indicates that positive language is much more powerful than negative.  

It’s no wonder that people who talk to their plants have much better results.  Plants after all are mostly water too.  When a person talks to their plants they’re saying good things like how beautiful it looks.

Yep, I think Professor Emoto’s work confirms what those in the know already know; a positive outlook has more energy behind it and therefore produces better results.  Another way to say it is “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” That’s something to think about the next time you want positive results. 

Guess all those wanna be gardeners out there better start doing some sweet talking if they want to see the fruits of their labor, me included. Oh and, mind language too. 

What is the Avatar Message?

If you listen closely to the movie you could to with any number of messages. Let’s see, there is the disregard and disrespect of another person’s way of life, how there are more important things than the possession of things, or your way isn’t always the right or best way.  There probably are more but the one I connected with and had the most impact was the message that they were all connected. The trees, animals, plant life and environment were all connected through the source and that source was Eywa.

Eywa to me is like Mother Nature here.  She is always in perfect harmony and that is what they said Eywa did – keep everything in balance, harmony.  But the interesting part is that they were physically connected.  In the movie they used colors and the cord receptors from the Na’vi natives to the animal to illustrate the point.  Through this connection the Na’vi could feel the animal and become one with it. Everything has a life force, not human, but still a life force.

This is interesting because here on earth everything has a life force too. Everything is energy but in a different form.  Energy never disappears, it just changes form.  It always exists. The molecular structure of a rock or wood has movement (energy) within it but at a very slow rate. The same goes for the chair you’re sitting on and the pen you hold in your hand.  Plant life also has molecular movement but it moves quite a bit faster.  The interior of a human being has an even faster energy movement and yet to the naked eye it appears as if all these things are motionless. 

It says in the Bible that we were formed from dust and from dust we shall return.  The same goes for all living things; animals, plant life, even water recycles.

How we here on earth are connected is evidence through the Butterfly Effect which basically states that even one butterfly can have an effect on our world even though it’s thousands of miles away.  You can read more about this effect by doing a search for Butterfly Effect on the internet.

We humans affect water. All you have to do look into the work of Masaru Emoto to know that our thoughts and language effects water at the molecular level as shown in the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know.  But you don’t have to watch the movie just to view the crystal images that were transformed through music and language; you can watch this video and see for yourself.

Messages in Water: 

What I think is interesting is since we are made up of 70% water, how is our language, the conversations we have and the music we listen to effecting our bodies? I also wonder what effect tattoos have on our bodies.

 

According to the Law of One we are all connected, from a single blade of grass to the animals, trees, water, moon, and sky. Not only are we all connected but what happens in LA affects the Middle East but our solar system and into the cosmic galaxies. We are one huge consciousness. That’s pretty wild, huh?

I’d like to know what you think after you watch the Messages in Water video.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall who’s the …

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?

Please! Try and Keep Up

Please! Try and Keep Up

Try and keep up with where your true awesome self is trying to take you. Seriously, sometimes you can be your own worst enemy.  There are enough people out there trying to stop you from being your true self. You don’t need to buy into it.  It’s just their way of keeping you small so they can feel better about themselves.

Remember when you were young and had a dream.  It was a really big dream.  You could go on and on about it.  The more you talked about it the more grand it became.  Details started to emerge and then you’d add even more to this grand plan of yours. 

And then what happened?  I’ll tell you what happened.  Some well meaning adult likely shattered your dream by throwing their version of reality in front of you. They told you that it wasn’t possible or started asking you how you would go about making it happen thereby forcing you to see all the obstacles in the way. 

The Universe doesn’t work that way.  It takes care of the how.  You just have to think about what you want, believe that it will happen and bit by bit you’ll start taking steps to make it happen.  The Universe provides the tools and contacts for you.  What you have to do is take advantage of the opportunity placed before you. Oh, and it’s not always going to show up all peaches and cream without a hint of struggle.  Sometimes those struggles are what you need to go through to prepare you for the next step.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  Can it be that easy?  You’ll never know unless you try.

So get busy and start dreaming big.  And for Pete’s sake, try and keep up with what the Universe keeps giving you. It’s for your own good.  

Stop Discrimination. Let’s Start with Sports

Stop Discrimination. Let’s Start with Sports

Yep. If we’re really serious about having a good representation of our society then we’d have more white people playing professional football and basketball and we’d have more women running the country. What do you say, yes or no? Should we do it?

However, let’s be realistic.  As any coach will say you put the best person suited for the job or task in and not just because it’s their turn or to be fair to the other players. If you’re really serious about winning you use your best player or combination of players to execute and deliver to achieve the results you’re looking for.  Besides being talented you also need to have the desire, drive, determination and passion to achieve the results requested of you. Oh and another thing, you need to get along well with others.   Therefore, you can be the best wide receiver in the league but if you can’t get along with your fellow teammates and coaches you’re not going to last long, not because you’re not talented but because it’s exhausting trying to appease one player. It becomes a drain on the whole team and it’s just not worth the trouble. This happens in sports and well as business. Actually in the business world you’re let go a lot faster.

Using the best person for the job is what I believe is essential for success in business, government and our society today.  Professional sports, business and government would look differently today if it weren’t for the individuals who not only had the skill but had the will to see themselves through all the obstacles they had to endure to get there.

Therefore if a black person is better than a white person playing a sport then they should be the one to represent their team, city, state, country, sex, race and nationality, if a women is better equipped to run the country over any man then she should be the one chosen to do so. The same goes for any other field out there be it business, sports or government.

It’s not necessarily that there aren’t qualified people to do the job, but that the most qualified person doesn’t have the will to do it.  This isn’t a negative statement but a realization that perhaps the person has values such as family that out-way any contribution they believe they could make.  In that case, we don’t always get the best qualified but one of the best from the pool of candidates. Remember, sometimes just having the tenacity to stick with it has propelled some unlikely candidates into the position.

Let’s stop trying to be fair, who said life was supposed to be fair anyway, and have everyone focus on what they’re good at doing and let the chips fall where they may.  I wonder what that would look like.

Turn That Music Down. I Can’t Hear Myself Think

Turn That Music Down. I Can’t Hear Myself Think

Did your parents ever say that to you?  Mine did.  I never understood what they were talking about back then but I do now.

What is it about a kid’s brain that they can take so much in at one time and still want more? Some kids insist that they need to have the TV on or be listening to music otherwise they can’t get their homework done.  Sometimes I think it’s because they need to keep one part of their brain occupied so they can concentrate on the task at hand.  Their brain is like a sponge therefore they have this enormous capacity to take in information without being consciously aware of it.  We all have this capacity but it’s much greater when we’re younger.

So what happens as we age?  I believe we still have this capacity and desire to take in information however as we age we’re not looking “out there” for the answers so much as we’re trying to connect with our higher self.  Instead of looking for an answer “out there” we trust our own instincts either through experience or knowingness that has served us well in the past.

I’m sure there have been times when you’ve been in your vehicle where either the traffic or weather got so bad that the first thing you reached for is to turn off any noise around you.  You turn off the radio, let go of the phone or tell the occupants to be quiet so you can think.  Perhaps what you’re really saying is that you need it quiet so that you can listen to your inner guide.  It’s saying ‘I know what to do but I can’t hear it with all this commotion going on’.

This is an example of listening to your inner voice.  The great thing is that it’s always there for you.  You just need to give it a platform to be heard. So yeah, I do say, “Turn that music down. I can’t hear myself think” and it’s okay if you do it too. 

Nobody is Perfect

Nobody’s Perfect

Guess again.  Don’t strain yourself on this one because it’s not a “who” that’s perfect but a “what”.  What’s perfect, nature?

It may teeter a bit one way or another but it’s always striving to remain in perfect harmony.  It may not appear that way to us humans but nature has been doing fine long before we arrived.  All the natural resources that existed eons ago are still here. We can learn a lot from nature.

Species come and go naturally on their own without any interference from humans.  Some species evolve, adapt, and expand like the various types of big cats and bears while others disappear like the dinosaurs.  The same can be said for the various types of indigenous people and cultures that we now know existed.

We live in a world of constant change.  As a human race we can learn to adapt and evolve or we will also become extinct.  That’s not to say that we’ll all die but rather our cultures and way of life will no longer look the same tomorrow as it does today, but then nothing ever does stay the same does it?

Is that bad? No. Who’d want to stay the same anyway?  That’s boring.  It’s going to change with or without your cooperation so you might as well get over it and go with the flow.  Instead of viewing change as the enemy view it as an adventure with the attitude, “I wonder what life has in store for me today.”

The whole world is in chaos right now.  There are still some adjustments that need to be made before the pendulum can swing back and find its own harmony again. Out of chaos comes order.  Unfortunately, we are still in the chaos stage. Part of the reason is that change is being forced on people instead of letting it evolve naturally like nature.

Action Step:  If you look at our own life and compare it to one, three or five years ago, where are you on the pendulum swing?  Are you still swinging more to chaos or do you feel you’re on the back swing and you’re finally adjusting to a new order? Are you getting the swing of things? Pun intended. Take comfort that order is on the way and like nature we’re also striving for harmony.

I Confess - I’m a Junkie

I Confess - I’m a Junkie

I’m a feel good junkie. Guess what, so are you? It’s nothing to be ashamed of. 

You always want to feel good about yourself. You seek out activities that you’re already good in. If you’re not good at math you’re certainly not going to apply for a bookkeeping job or play hockey if you can’t skate.  No, you’re going to choose the job or activity that you’ve already had some success in and hopefully build on it.

Deep down what you’re looking for is to feel good about yourself.  Why take the chance of receiving a bad review from your boss or embarrassed because of your lack of skill on an ice rink? You consciously choose what you’re good at.  It’s as if your spirit has a safe guard mechanism to protect your self esteem.  Isn’t that sweet?

Even the language you use is part of this mechanism.  When you hear a put-down it’s indirectly a way for the person talking to feel better about him.  By drawing attention to another person’s fault it makes him look good.  In extreme cases the person may adopt a poor-poor pitiful me attitude which is like him screaming for some positive feedback.  Make me feel good.  Make me feel good.

If you really think about the underlying reason why you do what they do, it’s to feel good about yourself.  You’re a feel good junkie.

The Grass isn’t Greener on the Other Side

The Grass isn’t Greener on the Other Side

It only appears to be greener.  Your grass is already lush and full of vibrant color. You’re just not seeing it. What it really comes down to is perception and the underlying cause of that is comparison.

When you start comparing yourself to others your mind can play some real nifty tricks on you.  It puts thoughts in your head about other people’s material possessions, education and career choices compared to you.  Soon little things that you probably never gave much thought to start to creep into your mind and it becomes almost like a disease.  With each comparison your emotions begin to rise with feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness where it didn’t exist before, all because you compared yourself to someone else.

The sad part is you did it to yourself.  Comparing yourself to others is like comparing different varieties of apples.  You can eat all of them but some are better for different reasons.  There are apples that are better for pies, baking and canning while others are straight up good to eat fresh.  But even within that category people have different tastes. Red Delicious apples are good to eat fresh as well as Fuju but the Fuju variety is a bit sweeter.  It’s all a matter of taste.

You are like a variety of apple.  You have your own unique flavor that people like for varying reason and they like you just the way you are.  Even though there are other people out there with some of the same skill sets, you bring your own unique flavor to the mix. Try to remember that next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else. Besides, if everyone were the same then some people aren’t needed. You’re an original, stay that way.

“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy” ~ John Mason

The Greatest Love of All

The Greatest Love of All

That phrase reminds me of a song from Whitney Houston.

What is the greatest love? That’s a tough one. My first thought would be unconditional love like the one parents feel about their children but the Law of One teaches us that it’s the ability to forgive and accept.

How can that be? It got me thinking about and I realized that loving a child is much easier than to forgive someone who has done you wrong. That’s hard – really hard.

A child comes into this world innocent and needing your care in order to survive. Her smiles and hugs sustain and reinforce the love you have for her. As she grows and goes through life’s ups and downs you’re still there loving her, but what happens when she gets into the wrong crowd, starts using drugs and next thing you know she’s hooked on meth?  You find out she’s wiped out your saving account, maxed out your credit cards and you’re faced with unbelievable debt. The emotional toll is unbearable. Do you still love her? Do you forgive her or is there some hesitation because you can’t handle the hurt she’s caused you?

How about when you’ve discovered that the person you’ve had an intimate relationship with for 15 years has been having an affair. Not only has the person been having an affair but this isn’t the first one and now you find out you have an STD. Looking back the signs were all there but you were so in love so you brushed them off. Now you realize that you’ve been lied to. Your whole relationship was a farce. You were committed but the other person wasn’t. But there’s a light. The person is sorry for their mistakes, states it will never happen again, will do anything it takes to make it work, begs, even pleads, for you take them back. How do you forgive the person and move on when you have so much hurt inside you? How do you trust this person again?

How about when someone intentionally or accidently kills your loved one. Perhaps it was a drunk driver or a fight that got out of hand. At any rate the person you love is gone, taken too soon. How to you find strength to forgive the person responsible for you loss? How do you find the greatest love then to forgive them?

You are the Master Gardner of Your Soul

You are the Master Gardner of Your Soul

 

Think of your mind as a garden where you can intelligently cultivate it or allow it to run wild.  Whether you tend to it or not something will grow there.  If you don’t plant good seeds of thought, then a bunch of weeds will sprout up and like most weeds they can quickly turn a garden into a mess. Only with constant weeding and cultivating can the good seeds of thought continue to blossom until eventually there are more blossoms and fruit than weeds. 

 

The weeds will still creep in from time to time to disturb your beautiful garden (mind) but with practice you become aware of it much quicker and like a master gardener you are able to weed out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts and cultivate toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts.

 

Why does this matter, because circumstances grow out of thought?  Every thought – seed sown or allowed to take root there produces its own blossoming sooner or later into action and bearing its own harvest of opportunity and circumstance.  You can be the master gardener of your thoughts and create your garden or let the weeds take root and see what happens. The choice is yours. You really do reap what you sow.

You’re One of a Kind. Go With it.

You’re One of a Kind. Go With it.

 

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action.  And because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique.  And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.

 

It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions.

 

It is your business to … keep the channel open … Whether you choose to take an art class, keep a journal, record your dreams, dance your story, or live each day from you own creative source, above all else, keep the channel open?”

 

 

I really like this quote form Martha Graham because 1) it encourages you to look at what unique thing you have to offer and to express it 2) It reminds you that because you’re unique there’s no point in comparing yourself to others and you need be grateful for what you’ve got.

 

Sometimes you can get so focused on the talents of other people you forget that you have some too.  All that does is make you feel bad about yourself and that won’t make you happy.

 

It’s okay to acknowledge and appreciate someone else’s talents but remember you have some that they don’t have.

 

Action Step: Anytime you catch yourself feeling bad about yourself because someone else has something you believe or wish you did have, remember that it’s their gift.

Nobody Does it Better

Nobody Does it Better

“Nobody does it better.

Makes me feel sad for the rest

Nobody does it half as good as you

Baby, you’re the best”

These are lyrics from the song, “Nobody Does it Better” sung by Carly Simon.

When it comes to the combination of your unique talents, nobody DOES do it quite the way you do.  The problem is discovering what that unique thing you do IS.  What is it that makes you special that makes you stand out from the rest?

If you’re really good at singing or playing sports it’s obvious what your thing is. But even with these obvious talents there’s the underlying tenacity and driving force that makes the person strive to be better. 

Therefore, even though someone’s good at sports what makes him stand out might really be his willingness to go the extra mile, to have laser like focus on the task at hand.  That’s his real talent and it’s what will bode well when he’s an adult.

However, let’s say you can’t quite get a handle on what it is that makes you grand.  Perhaps instead it’s your encouraging words that lift another person’s spirit, to carry on, or your ability to listen intently when anyone tells you what’s going on in their lives.

These are the talents that aren’t going to make you stand out in a crowd or win awards but are going to give you the respect a and admiration of the people you have touched.  It’s up to you to decide what is more important and what would give you the greatest satisfaction.

The Case Against Diversity

Yep I’m against diversity. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m fascinated by different cultures, heck, that’s what I found most interesting when I was in college learning about international business. The difference in cultures plays a huge part in how products are marketed from the taste, the color of the package and how business is conducted.

When I travel abroad I much rather travel on my own versus in a group setting because then I have the opportunity to discover, feel, hear and taste the culture I’m being exposed to. I can venture into the path less taken. Looking back I’d say I go into a bit of a trance as I try to absorb all the sights and sounds around me. I leave in wonder and appreciation for the experience that has expanded my world.

As odd as it may sound but I do tend to attract people from different countries into my world. A long time friend is originally from Mexico. I was in her wedding and she was in mine.  Through my husband and work I’ve become friends with people from Brazil, Ukraine and Romania. They certainly have enriched my life.

However with all those friendships and travels I’ve expenenced one thread always remained, the more I’ve discovered that in the end we are all more alike than different. We all want the same things; a health, happiness, good friends, a better life for our children and a love and appreciation for our Creator.

You see I’m against diversity for two reasons; 1) its unnatural and 2) it pulls people apart instead of bringing them together.

For example, when you first meet, run into or are around people you’re not familiar with do you start talking about how you’re different? No! You immediately try to develop a connection through some common interest such as sports, children or the situation you’ve found yourself in with the other person. When you’re at a wedding you might ask the other person how they know the bride or groom.  When you’re watching a sporting event you might ask the person what they think of a certain team or player. The most common ice breaker is to ask the other person what they do to earn a living. The bottom line is you’re always searching for some commonality in order to make a connection with the other person. It all starts with small talk.

It’s not until you’re comfortable with the other person do you bring up the differences and that can take some time. Through the 30 plus years of conversations with my Mexican friend I’ve found out things about the culture she grew up in. The information was revealed and then I’d ask inquiring questions. Rarely have I asked an outright question about her background. To tell the truth it really isn’t an important part of our friendship, although it is quite interesting when a tidbit of unknown information is offered.

For example, several years ago I invited a new friend to attend a convention with me. Afterwards as we were having a few drinks when she complimented me on how my skin looked and wanted to know what I did to keep it that way. That’s when she told me that Apache Indians (she was Apache) were very vain. She told me that people thought they painted their faces to look mean but it was really to protect their skin. Who knew? It was new information coming right from the source. She was obviously very comfortable with me or really wanted to know how I took care of my skin.

Yes, I’m against diversity. We as humans have so many things in common than we do differences that it is tearing us apart rather than bringing us together. In my mind there will always be a curiosity, enthusiasm and appreciation for what diversity brings to the table but the accent should be on what brings us together. When you’re focusing on differences it’s hard to make peace with a religion, race, gender or nationality particularly if you don’t agree with it. When we focus on our commonalities it brings a sense of community and togetherness that unites us in a bond of love and friendship.

I think that’s the Creator’s goal, to love the person inside and not be influenced by some shallow casing.

I think Madeleine Albright said it quite well.

“As world events reflect, we remain far from mastering the art of human relations. We have invented no technology that will guide us to the destinations that matter most.

After two world wars, the Holocaust, multiple genocides and countless conflicts, we must ask how long it will be before we are able to rise above the national, racial and gender distinctions that divide us and embrace the common humanity that binds us.

The answer depends not on the starts or some mysterious forces of history; it depends on the choices that you and I and all of us make.”

The Fabulous 40’s

The Fabulous 40’s

 

Just when you think your life is on the down swing along come some remarkable people proving you wrong by hitting their stride. All the hard work and lessons they’ve learned have finally reached a climatic point where everything starts to come together and presto, greatness.

 

Life isn’t over.  It’s just beginning.

 

You know the saying “I wish I knew then what I know now”, that’s part of the wisdom you have in your forties. The forties are the accumulation of what you learned thus far but the difference is now you’ve got the courage and maturity to pull it off.

 

Just look at what these people achieved and they haven’t even reached middle age.

 

40 – Harriet Beecher Stow publishes Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

     -  Leo Tolstoy finishes writing a mammoth novel he titles War and Peace.

41 – The oldest punter in the NFL, Jeff Feagles is names by his fellow players as one of   the league’s top punters.

42 – A man apparently not afraid to seek guidance for direction, Galileo Galilei invents the compass.

43 – Physician John H. Kellogg creates a flaked breakfast cereal.

44 - Sam Walton founds Wal-Mart.

45 – Henry Ford introduces and automobile he dubs the Model T.

     - Gene Rodenberry unveils a TV series he calls Star Trek.

     - Walter Cronkite assumes the role of anchor of The CBS Evening News.

46 – Charles Darrow invents a board game called Monopoly.

     - Volleyball legend Karch Kiraly plays his final matches before finally retiring.

47 – Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovers an antibiotic called penicillin.

48 – Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

49 – Chef Julia Child writes Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

 

Don’t let age be an excuse. 

 

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Confucius

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

There are a while lot of people who would like to know the answer to that question. They may spend years trying to figure it out, searching in all the wrong places, but then again maybe not.

All the life experiences you have are getting you closer and closer to your answer.  With each new job, activity or situation you weed out what you do want from what you don’t want.  You find yourself making decisions about it without possibly being conscious of it.  It helps you make the distinction between what you value and makes you happy versus what you can do without.

However, wouldn’t it be great if you could save your time and energy to get it right to the heart of it?  You can - more on that later.

When I first asked myself this very question I got caught up in the “doing” part of it as in what am I supposed to be doing when I grow up.  Therefore, professions and crafts entered my mind.  Then I got caught up in the description of the profession as in what kind of education was required, what would a normal day look like and what kind of salary could I expect. Those things alone took a few potential prospects out of the picture.  These were all distractions from what I was truly looking for.

It took 30 years before I took the time to analyze this question.  When I realized what I really wanted to know is what am I supposed to “be” when I grow up, the question took on a whole new meaning.  To “be” meant things like happy, productive, respected, kind, loyal and loving.  It’s not a profession anymore but what I want to be on the inside.  And in the end, isn’t that what we all want from life?

And then another revelation happened, I realized what I really was asking is what is my purpose in life which isn’t a “doing” thing at all.  What would give me the most satisfaction?  What am I supposed to doing here while I’m on earth?

What an awakening revelation!

When you ask yourself what you should be when you grow up what are you REALLY asking?  Are you like me asking what your purpose is or do you want to know the profession you should be in?  It’s something to think about.

If you would like to discover what would give you the most satisfaction, what you’re truly looking for, then you should take the Core Passion assessment.  You can read all about it on my website. The Core Passion ® assessment will help you uncover the fire that burns inside you that longs to explode.  You can take the assessment at any time.  It will give you the tools and language to describe what you’re looking for.