Listen to an inspirational story that helped me when I felt I wasn’t making a difference. It may help you realize what an important effect you have in the lives of others.
STARFISH STORY ⭐️
Month: October 2022
GRATITUDE IN YOUR POCKET- PODCAST
Learn the secret that almost didn’t make it into my first book! It has went on to be one of my most popular tools at seminars and book signings. Click on the link below to hear this episode.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL – PODCAST
Here is my podcast episode explaining the most powerful tool to improve your life. You will also hear a section from my book A Happy Life for Busy People. Click on the link below to listen.
TRY NOT TO FREAK OUT😮
I have heard a lot of people expressing how crazy the world seems lately. I put that word in italics for a great reason. A lot of our world is based on our perception. We have all heard the cliché ‘Perception is reality’ The reason that it is a cliché, is because there is a great deal of truth to it. The world does seem to be filled with dramatic and rapid change. The same was probably true during the industrial revolution. Also during the dark ages, when any day you could be killed if your neighbor said you were a witch. That must have been some stress to live under. I honestly believe that the amount of stress doesn’t change, just the name and form of stress.
Whatever form stress may take, there is one thing we can say about being stressed out – it sucks. Feeling overwhelmed or out of control of our own life never feels good. There are a lot of new tools to help us deal with this stress. There are meditation apps. I even saw an app where celebrities can read you bed time stories. These are great, but I believe there is a tool that has been around for centuries that can do a better job. In addition to helping us get a handle on our stress, it can do so much more. It can give us a greater sense of mental clarity. It can also give us a great insight into our thinking patterns, acting as a cheap and readily accessible therapist. That way when life is getting at you, or like our poor chap in the picture above, you get a bad phone call, you can use this tool and help avoid overwhelm and burn out.
You might think a tool that can do all of this would be expensive. You will be pleased to know you can get this tool as cheap as a couple of dollars. I wrote about this tool in my first book, A Happy Life for Busy People. I also wrote about it a total of three times on this blog in 2013. Oddly enough, we haven’t spoken about it since then. I think it is long overdue that we bring up the topic again. This amazing tool is the journal. Before you are tempted to dismiss this idea because of its simplicity, let me caution you against doing so.
I am going to share with you some of the reasons this tool is so effective. First of all, a handwritten journal forces us to slow down and record our thoughts. Second, we are…umm… well…recording our thoughts. Trying to keep all of our thoughts in our head can be equated to plugging more and more things into an outlet. Eventually, the circuit will blow. This could be a feeling of anxiety, a panic attack or a full-blown nervous breakdown. These are expensive physically, mentally and with the cost of healthcare, financially as well. The cost of a journal can be as cheap as a pen and a spiral notebook. This takes some of the load off that circuit. It also gives us a record to thoughts we have and what may trigger them. Often, when we write down how we are feeling and read it back later, we can feel a little foolish for how we may have reacted to a certain situation. It is good to have that record.
A journal can be a safe place to share our feelings, even if it is only with the paper. It can be a place of emotional release. A journal can be the cheapest therapist we can hire. Beautiful thing is, this therapist doesn’t have office hours and is always available. In order to keep life from becoming overwhelming for you, might I suggest picking up a journal and just begin recording your day. Getting things out will take the burden off of your mind and will help you from having a melt down, or just blowing a circuit. I would love to hear your stories about how journaling helped you. If you want to learn more about journaling, feel free to check out my book, A Happy Life for Busy People, available on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold. You can also go back and read the posts from 2013 or listen to the episode on my podcast at the link below. Whatever you choose, I would love your feedback!
HOW TO FEEL GOOD EVERYDAY 😀
Two thoughts came to my mind when I read this quote. The first thought was, “Why on earth do we not do this more often?” Sure, when someone comes to you with some bit of good news, we do say “Hey, that’s great. Congratulations.” How often do we really go all out and celebrate? We do not have to wait for the big events either. How fun would it be to have a great time and maybe lunch to celebrate your friend getting a new set of tires on their car? How about offering to take your spouse out for dinner after making it through a tough day at work? I am sure they would love that.
The second thought that came to my mind shortly after the first was “If we did this enough, we would be living in a state of celebration!” No matter who we are, we have enough friends and enough reasons to be celebrating every single day! Your friend just completed their first marathon? Doesn’t matter if you can’t even run to the bathroom, go ahead and celebrate with them. There is also an endless stream of ways to celebrate. You can take them out for lunch or dinner as we already discussed. You can also send a card. Send a fun email. Post something lavish on their social media. Pick up a small token of celebration or even offer to do a small service. I am sure you can think of more and I would love to hear about them!
Today, begin to think about and look for people and things you can celebrate. Not only will you feel good and have fun, but by showing how important others accomplishments are, you will strengthen your relationships. Your friends, coworkers and spouses will feel more important than they have in a while and you will feel good because your actions have made them happy. Everyone wins! Who can you celebrate today?
WANT MORE GREAT CONTENT? CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY PODCAST!😀
VISUALIZATION SECRET 🤫
There is plenty of talk about visualization these days. For good reason. It is one of the greatest tools you can use to help you reach and accomplish your goals. I know to a lot of you this may seem a little too “New Age”, but there is plenty of science behind it. In the simplest terms, if your brain is used to seeing certain items, people or situations, it is more likely to notice them when they happen in real life. Think about when you were going to buy a certain car and suddenly it seemed you saw them everywhere. Did everyone run out and buy one because you were thinking of getting one? As awesome as you are, I think we can all agree that is not a very likely scenario. Especially, because many of the people you did not even know.
There are some examples that we really can’t 100% explain with science, although quantum physics seems to be getting close. For example, when you are thinking of a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time and suddenly that friend calls you. How does that happen? Some science behind that in terms of thoughts being waves of energy and traveling, but what we are going to talk about is a simple secret to get past one of the greatest hurdles in being able to put the power of visualization to work in your own life.
One of the greatest powers that visualization puts to work in your life is the power of your mind. Unfortunately, one of the greatest obstacles to this power working miracles in your life is the power of your mind. This can be explained by realizing there are two very distinct parts to the mind. There is the subconscious mind, which controls roughly 95% of what we do on a daily basis. It controls our bodily functions, our habits and our habitual thinking. Then there is the conscious or reasoning mind. This is the part that we have direct control over, although the degree in which we use this control varies from person to person. The only way we can communicate with our subconscious mind is indirectly, through the conscious mind. We can do this through tools such as repeating mantras or affirmations. One of the more powerful ways we can influence the subconscious is through visualization.
Here is where things get a little tricky. At least they used to for me. As great as my imagination and self-discipline are, I kept running into the same challenge. That obstacle was my conscious mind. See if this sounds familiar. I would have a mantra of “I am a wealthy best-selling author” and repeat that over and over. Maybe I would even visualize talking about one of my books on Oprah or seeing my name on top of the best-seller list. As soon as the words left my lips or the image came to mind, I would hear a voice say something like, “Not so!” or “That is a bunch of B.S.” This upset me. Who would have the nerve to shoot down my quest at influencing my subconscious mind? I was ready to correct that person until I realized it was me! My conscious and reasoning mind would object to any belief that was not yet supported by the five senses.
After years of frustration, I came across a solution in a book by Neville Goddard. I am going to share it with you in case any of you are facing the same challenge I was. Even if you are not, this can make visualization a lot easier and enjoyable. Instead of telling yourself “I am wealthy.” or “I am healthy.” Ask yourself how that would feel. This way, you still visualize yourself in the end result and your conscious mind does not object. In fact, it may go so far as to help you imagine. Asking yourself “How would it feel to have a million dollars in my bank account?” Brings up that situation. You can start to engage all of your senses. You can imagine how you would act. Where would you go and what would you be doing? You can make a game of it.
Next time you find yourself having difficulty visualizing an outcome you desire, simply ask yourself what it would feel like if that outcome was realized. Your mind will not object and will begin to go to work to find you an answer.
AN EVENING OF GRATITUDE 🥰
This past Friday, I celebrated the release of my third book, The Beat Goes On, which is also available on Amazon. I was fortunate enough to host this event at an amazing place called Urbal Tea. The owner, Nick, was kind enough to offer me the space. There was enough room for everyone in a very pleasant atmosphere. As you can see, I had all three of my books available and was able to share and meet many new friends.
In addition to all of the new friends that I met, there were plenty of familiar faces. I had friends, family and coworkers. Margie made cupcakes that were so delicious, I think a few people came just for them. I am hoping this new book will help people understand the importance of self-improvement. By reading it, you will be able to witness how it affected one of the scariest and intense moments of my life. In this book it shows the tools and strategies that I personally used and that worked for me. There are moments of laughter, drama, tears and triumph.
I can’t thank everyone who came to share this amazing evening with me enough. There was so much to be thankful for and I hope I did my part to serve those who attended. In a world that can so often seem crazy, it is great to have an evening like this to look back and be grateful for.
YOU CANNOT SUFFER
This is a powerful concept that is easier said than done. However, realizing this point may help us a great deal. I know many people, myself included, that can be paralyzed to inaction by memories of the past or worries of the future. Having this quote printed out may do a great deal to help us move forward. Although the past can really cause us a great deal of pain, realizing that it is not the actual event that happened that is causing us pain, but our memory of it, may aid us in understanding how to heal that pain and move forward. After all, we cannot go back in time and change events, but we can work on a change in perspective or thinking moving forward. We may need help of a good friend or therapist to do this, but it can be done.
The same holds true with any worry we have of the future. The best thing we can do is take action to prepare for the future. Beyond that, there is not much we can do. I once heard a saying that said, “Worrying is like riding an exercise bike; you get really tired, but you do not actually go anywhere.” Use any apprehension you may have for future events to motivate you to take action in the present. When you have done all that you can do, relax knowing that you have given it your best and you will take further action as the future reveals itself.
By understanding that it is not actually the past or the future that is causing us pain, but our thinking about it, will allow us to put our effort where it will do the most good – between our own two ears. This is a simple concept, but one that may not always be easy. If we remember to focus on our own thinking, we can work through an issues we may be having. Whether this requires time alone in meditation or the help of a friend or professional, it can be done.
THE GREATEST GIFT 🎁
Here we are at Monday again. The start of a new week and lots to accomplish. While we have a lot of projects to work on, we must not forget the greatest project we should devote our life to, that being the improvement of ourselves. Many people may consider this a selfish venture, and in some way I guess that could be correct. After all, if you are in better physical shape, you can do this easier with less pain. You improve your financial outlook and you have a lot less stress. Speaking of stress, that is one area we really benefit by getting under control. Almost every malady in our life is brought on by one stress or another.
All of the above is true, but we must remember something else. Those around us benefit greatly when we become the best versions of ourselves. If you are fit and healthy, you can imagine that would be a benefit to your spouse. It would also benefit your employer and coworkers as you will call in sick less often. If you are manage to get your stress under control you are more likely to treat those around you with a great deal of compassion. The importance of this cannot be overstated. If the world was under less stress and everyone treated each other with a greater deal of compassion and understanding, can you imagine what that would be like? This may sound like a fairytale to many of you, but the interesting point is that it is entirely possible. There are two very important things we can do to help this become a reality.
The first thing we can do is get to work on ourselves. Becoming the best version of yourself is a lifelong commitment. There is always more to learn. We can and must continue to work on being healthy. If we wish to have a better world, one of the most important things we can do is make sure we are bringing a better person to it. We will bring joy and improvement to three different areas. We will be helping ourselves, others and the world around us. Not bad for one action. Next time you think placing time and effort on improving yourself is a selfish action, this might be something to remember.
The other thing that we can do to help bring about a better world, is to help others become the best version of themselves. It is VITAL to mention here this does not mean telling others what you think they should do better. It is being a supportive and encouraging friend to whatever self-improvement action they are working on. Knowing that we have the support of others can help us with any goal we are working on and give us the strength to improve that area of our lives.
If you wish to give a gift to yourself, those you share life with as well as the world at large, just work on becoming the best version of you. This does not only have to include effort we put forth, but making sure we take time for self-care and stress relief. It may seem cruel to say ‘no’ when someone asks you to do something, but if it will cause you a great deal of stress, or you are feeling like you need some time to heal, it would be far better to take that time. Become the best version of yourself and help others who are struggling to do the same. It is the best thing we can do to create an amazing world.
SUNDAY INSPIRED
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 