LITTLE GIRL IN THE PARK

I was recently walking in a public park. A short distance ahead of me was a mom and her three year old daughter. The little girl was holding on to a string attached to a helium filled balloon. All of a sudden, a sharp gust of wind took the balloon from the little girl. I braced myself for some screaming and crying. But no! As the little girl turned to watch her balloon go skyward, she gleefully shouted out, "Wow!" I didn't realize it at the time, but that little girl taught me a life lesson...

Later that same day, I received a phone call from a person with news of an unexpected problem. I felt like  responding with, "Oh no, that's terrible." But the little girl came to mind and I found myself saying, "Wow, that's interesting! How can I Help?" One things for sure - life's always going to present situations that throw us off balance with unexpected problems / challenges. That's a given. What's not preordained is our response. We can choose to be frustrated or fascinated. 

No matter what the situation, a fascinated "Wow!" will always beat a frustrated "Oh,no."

The next time you experience one of life's unexpected gusts, remember the little girl and make it a "Wow!" experience. The "Wow!" response always works. 

LESSONS FROM LIFE

Some doors should never have been opened. And some doors that once were opened should be closed forever. 

GIVE UP!

As strange as it sounds, we can have a happier life of we'll just GIVE UP!

ALL CONNECTED

Just like a SUNBEAM can't separate itself from the SUN, and a WAVE can't separate itself from the OCEAN, we can't separate OURSELVES from ONE ANOTHER! We are ALL part of a vast sea of intelligence and love. One indivisible divine family!

SEEMINGLY LITTLE THINGS

There are many things in our lives that can be so satisfying and rewarding if we will but step out from behind our mental filters and experience them. Everyday can bring moments of pure joy!

Our nervous system constantly receives input from all of our senses. If we were consciously aware of all the input we would literally be overwhelmed. To protect us and maintain a state of balance, a part of the nervous system called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) filters through all the input and allows us to be AWAREonly of the input we've deemed essential based on our survival needs, past experiences and our beliefs. We can change what the RAS allows into conscious awareness. 

Earlier today my wife and I took a spontaneous trip out to lunch and then a long leisurely walk through a shopping mall. While we were walking and holding hands, I suddenly became aware of the warmth, softness and gentle grasp of my wife's hand. I then noticed the pleasant scent of her perfume. My gaze then fell upon her very long, dark and beautiful hair. My attention then shifted to the smooth gentle features of her face which were angelic to me. I experienced feelings of such joy. Yet these were all things that are always there but that I had  learned to 'filter out' while going through the daily tasks of life. What beauty, tenderness and joy I experienced. I determined it was time to reassess my 'filters' so as not to miss out on the true joys of life. TheSEEMINGLY LITTLE THINGS. Have you been filtering out your own sources of joy?

CONTROL?

We can't control the world "out there". When we try, we become aware of how impossible it is and are left frustrated and even anxious. We can control the world "in here", within ourselves. We can manage our thoughts and feelings. When we change our thoughts and feelings, we changed "our" whole world!

MEMORIAL DAY

Our thoughts turn to those who have given ALL to ensure and protect our freedoms. This also includes the tender hearts of loved ones left behind and the burden they continue to bare. 

We thank you!

THANK YOU!

While enjoying breakfast with my Aunt, Uncle and Wife this morning in a local restaurant, I was touched by the following thought. There are individuals and families who would give anything to have one more meal with their soldier who gave their life defending our freedom. 

I thank you all!

MAY WE REMEMBER

A brief note today. 

May we never forget those who gave ALL that we may live as we choose. 

May we always remember we have a debt to them that can never be fully repaid. 

May we consistently live lives worthy of their SACRIFICE!

ANXIETY

The feeling / emotion of ANXIETY 

is meant to move us to action. It may be motivating us NOT to do something we are considering. It may be motivating us to change our thinking or beliefs about something. It may be prompting us toDO something  or CHANGE something. The underlying principle is ACTION. 

IMPACT OF KINDNESS

When you express kindness toward another person, you positively  impact there gene expression to promote new brain cell growth, release brain chemicals  that increase confidence, creativity and courage and YOU get these same things too. Choose to be a beneficial presence on the planet today. 

GRADUATION

"The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it."

As High School, Trade School and College graduates embark on life time careers, may they heed this counsel. A career inconsistent with ones core values is never worth whatever it may pay. 'If it takes you away from your family and friends, it will leave you alone in the end.'

FINDING PEACE

Sometimes finding peace in life comes from subtracting people or things from your life, not by adding people or things. 

PERSPECTIVE

Two buckets met at the well in the center of town. One of the buckets was down and depressed. "What's wrong?" the other bucket asked concerned. "I can't take it any longer," said the depressed bucket, " I get so tired being dragged to the well everyday. No matter how full I am when I leave here I always come back here completely empty. I find it depressing."  "If you look at it that way, no wonder you're depressed," the second bucket said. "The way I see it is that no matter how empty I am when I come back here I always leave here completely full. I find it so invigorating!"

"You are 100% responsible for how you choose to respond to everything that happens in your life!"

WORDS LIKE LIGHTNING

Words when thought, read or spoken ignite with 'meaning' within each of us and trigger emotion in a FLASH like lightning. These same words echo in our lives and the lives of those around us like thunder in a valley. Are your words creating a bright flash and comforting thunderous  roar like a gentle Spring rain storm or are they blinding others and in stilling fear and dread like a severe damaging storm?  

Choose your words carefully. You can choose your words but cannot control their impact. 

A MOMENT TO REASSESS

As human beings we have learned that no response, experience, or behavior is meaningful outside of the context in which it was established, or the response it elicits next. In short, all meaning is context dependent. 

You're thinking, 'Okay... What? Here's an example. I once had a client who had an ongoing feud with her husband and children about their living room carpet. She adored her family and also loved keeping the living room carpet smooth with straight lines from the vacuum cleaner and no foot or hand impressions left on the carpet. I asked what the smooth carpet meant to her. She shared that it was visual evidence that she loved her husband and kids and was conveying  that by keeping that carpet so perfect. I asked what the foot and hand impressions in the carpet meant to her, she explained that it symbolized chaos, noise, and work to do again. 

It was time to reassess or Reframe. I asked that she give me descriptors for the smooth carpet again, "quiet, order, untouched, taking care of things for the family, being a good Mom." I asked her to focus on the smooth carpet again and said, "look, no foot or hand impressions. Listen, no talking, no laughter, no playing, you're all alone. No one is here. No sharing of the smooth carpet." She became tearful and observed that the prints on the carpet actually meant she was surrounded by and spending time with the people she loves most. The always smooth carpet was pushing away what she wanted most, being with her family. 

Taking some time to reassess / Reframe situations in our lives can instantly change a liability to an asset, a burden to a blessing! REASSESS REFRAME

HOUDINI'S IMPOSSIBLE LOCK!

It's fascinating to read the stories, many of them legendary, about the late Houdini. That masterful magician was probably a better locksmith than he was a magician. He had a standing challenge that he could get out of any locked jail in 60 minutes, providing they would let him enter in his regular street clothes and not watch him work. 

One of the stories is about a little town in the British Isles that decided to challenge (and perhaps embarrass) the great Houdini. This town had just completed an escape-proof jail, and so the townsfolk invited Houdini to come see of he could break out. 

He accepted the challenge. He was allowed to enter the jail in his street clothes. People said they saw the locksmith turn the lock some strange way, and then with the clang of steel, everybody turned their backs and left him alone to work. Houdini had hidden a long flexible steel rod in his belt, which is what he used to try to trip the lock. He worked for 30 minutes. He kept his ear close to the lock - 45 minutes, and then an hour passed, he was perspiring. After two hours, he was exhausted. He leaned against the door, and to his amazement, it fell open. They had never locked the door! It was their trick on the great Houdini!

The door was locked ONLY in Houdini's mind. That's the ONLY place it was locked. Sometimes we may think we can't overcome our problems or succeed at something. The only place where it is impossible is in our thinking. That's theONLY thing that's locked! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

DO IT ANYWAY (Sometimes We Won't Know Why)

 Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

“Great,” she thought. “Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.” She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn’t there!

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains.

She thought of the Bible verse, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.” She thought, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.”

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?”
            
Well, that would be startling enough. But you know why the climber saw it?

An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn’t end there.

Brenda’s father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption:

“Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.”

LAUGHTER

"Laughter is an instant vacation."

There are so many benefits to good ole belly laughter. Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, it's fun, free and easy to use. 

HAVE YOU TRIED EVERYTHING?

One Spring day, a young boy tried to move a big rock in his back yard so he could start a garden. He tried, he worked, and he tried some more, but couldn't move it. His father watched from the porch, and finally asked his son if he had tried everything to to move the rock. The boy said," yes, I've tried absolutely everything."  "No, you haven't," said the father. "You haven't asked me to help you!"

SO, HAVE YOU TRIED EVERYTHING?

MOTION CREATES EMOTION

To change emotions, start moving. Emotion is created by motion. Our movement or motion engages muscles, determining our posture which in turn effects our mental state. I have a friend who is very depressed. I'll bet that even though you don't know them you can describe their posture and movement; slumped shoulders, head tilted down, eyes looking downward, moving very little and when they do they move quite slowly. Change the motion and you change the emotion. Stand up straighter, head up, eyes looking forward and move like someone that's excited and... what happens? You begin to feel excited. A USC study demonstrated that even the simple act of smiling causes an internal chemical change and we feel better. 

EMOTION IS CREATED BY MOTION, START MOVING!

TIME TO REFLECT

No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. 

Even if only for five minutes, take time for stillness and reflection everyday. Silence and put down your smart phone. Turn off the television. Turn off the music. Step away from the crowd. In this time of still watered silence and reflection, wonderful discoveries from deep within occur. 

KNOWING VS DOING

Once upon a time, there was a penguin who was surfing the Internet. He came across the website of a motivational speaker who specialized on teaching pigs how to fly with his seminar titled "Pigs Can Fly!"  The penguin was amazed and thought, "If this person can teach pigs to fly, maybe he can perform a miracle and also teach penguins to fly." The penguin emailed the motivational speaker and asked him if he had a seminar titled " Penguins Can Fly." "Of course. No problem." The speaker responded. The penguin asked him if he would be interested in coming to the South Pole. The speaker said it would be very expensive. The money was raised. The travel arrangements were made. Everything was all set. On the big day, 100 excited penguins showed up at the hotel for the "Penguins Can Fly" seminar. The speaker began by telling them that there were only two things they had to do to fly.

 #1 Flap your wings harder. 

#2 Believe in yourself. 

He started teaching them how to flap really, really, really hard. The penguins learned to flap harder but not one of them left the ground. Then the speaker had ladders set up all around the room. He explained that he wanted the penguins to start on the first rung, jump off and flap really hard. They started on the first rung. They jumped off and flapped. And they all fell flat on their beaks. Next, they progressed to the second rung. Still no success. When they got to the third rung, suddenly one of the penguins yelled out, "look at Ralph! Look at Ralph!" Ralph was up and flying for about 10 seconds. That did it! As soon as the other penguins saw that it was possible, they started to believe. One after another, they started flying. They were up in the air for five seconds... 10 seconds... 30 seconds ... by the end of the day, every single one of them was flying for as long as they wanted!

The "Penguins Can Fly" seminar was a resounding success. When it ended, the speaker didn't just get a standing ovation, he received a flying one too! After it was all over, the most curious thing happened. When all the penguins left the hotel, each and every one of them  WALKED back home. 

Are there some powerful or even amazing things you KNOW but aren't DOING!

"KEEP YOUR OLE WRENCH!"

A man was on a long drive heading home for a large family gathering. His drive took him through miles of countryside and farmland. He had previously been having trouble with his car's engine and was nervous about the trip. To make matters more stressful, he had forgotten to pack his toolbox for the trip in case he had more car trouble. 

Driving into the dark of night he nervously  progressed on his journey when suddenly the car engine sputtered, bucked and quit. A quick check under the hood revealed a simple problem that could be fixed with an adjustable wrench. He had no tools! Cell phone? No service. He could see way in the distance a lone farmhouse with lights on. He started a long walk toward the house. As he walked he began to think, 'it's late at night. It's the middle of nowhere and the people at the house will probably be suspicious of me and not loan me a wrench.' The thought was a little irritating. He continued walking, 'it's late at night, they may loan me a wrench but will be irritated because I disturbed them so late at night.' He began feeling a little defensive. He then noticed the lights at the house go off. 'They've probably gone to bed, I'll be waking them up and they'll be angry having to get out of bed so late at night for a stranger.' Now coming closer to the house the man's thoughts continued,'It's so late at night. I'll probably be waking them up. They'll be angry with me, call the dogs on me, holler at me and call me names as they run me off their property!' Finally reaching the porch of the farmhouse the man was feeling furious!  He pounded on the front door. Lights came on in the house. The farmer opened the front door and before he could even say a word, the now angry man shouted at the farmer, "I DON'T NEED OR WANT YOUR HELP ANYWAY! YOU CAN KEEP YOUR OLE WRENCH!"

The man then stomped off the porch and headed back to is inoperable car. 

How often do we do this kind of thing to ourselves through self-sabotage? 

TAKE A BREAK

It is important to step away from what we are doing and regain perspective. When flying, pilots frequently check their compass to ensure they are on the right flight path. Being off course just one degree doesn't seem like much but if not corrected quickly can result in being miles off course and ending up someplace you never intended. Take a break, check your internal compass. Are you still on the path you intended?