Do Something Today

Today is Sunday, typically a day to slow down a bit. Today is a good day to focus on being a better husband/wife, a better father/mother, a better brother/sister, a better son/daughter, a better neighbor, a better friend.
Pick one of those categories that you fall into and do something today that will make you feel good. Maybe it's a phone call, maybe it's some big hugs, maybe it's a compliment.
Do something today.

Enjoy Creation

A friend of mine who is a religious brother (a monk) sent me a homemade Christmas card several years ago. In it he wrote that God is going to ask us a few questions before we are allowed to enter Heaven. One of those questions will be, "How did you enjoy my creation?"
How will you answer that question?
Take time every day to take it all in: the wind and cold (like today), the rain, the thunder and lightening, the stars, the moon, the sun rising and setting every day, Spring following Winter, rivers running, birds singing, dogs sniffing, mountains' majesty. I could go on and on and on and on and on....
Enjoying the beauty and order of the universe can bring balance to your life. Give up your sophisticated attitude and experience nature through the innocent eyes of a child. Be childlike in your awe of nature. When your time comes to be asked this question by God, be prepared to give a great, heartfelt answer.

What a Humbling, Awesome Feeling

I've been teaching a weekly course in Personal Development in the Suffolk County, NY jail system for almost nine years now. The rewards I've received far outweigh the work and time I have put in there. Two days ago, one of the inmates who was to be discharged later that day came to me at the end of the class and shook my hand and thanked me for opening up his mind and heart to his spiritual side. I stood there in awe of how blessed I am to have the opportunity to touch the lives of the men in my class.
A month ago, my wife and I were attending a local town's annual festival on a Sunday afternoon and as we got out of the car a man came running up calling my name. It was a fellow who had been in my class at the jail four years ago. He proceeded to gush on and on, beaming about how his life had changed since his incarceration. He gave me much of the credit for inspiring him to make a new life for himself. He was sober and drug free. He had reconciled with his parents who had disowned him. He had begun again to be the husband and father he had always wanted to be. Again, I stood there in awe, giving thanks that I had made that first drive out to the jail nine years ago. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time but I wouldn't trade a minute of it. It's like no other feeling you could experience. I'm sure that these moments are but glimpses of what Heaven is like. Ah, Heaven on Earth.
It's there for everyone.

"What is" or "What Could be"

Your life becomes a manifestation of what you think about all day long. Why do you waste time thinking about how bad things are? What does that accomplish? It simply puts you in a negative frame of mind, you feel lousy, your energy level drops and your life stays the same or gets worse.
The next time you notice yourself hanging on to the thought of "the way things are" stop yourself by saying "oops, there I go again" and move on to thinking about "the way things could be". Your frame of mind will improve, you'll feel better, your energy level will pick up. The more often you catch yourself and pivot to "the way things could be," the better your life will become.

Touch Lives

Make it a point everyday to touch someone's life. Send an email to an old friend; call a relative and let him know you've been thinking him; make a kind comment to the store clerk; say hi to a person passing you on the street. Take advantage of the many opportunities that present themselves to us every day to show simple kindness to your fellow man. By lifting up someone else's life you can't help but lift up your own.

Weather Those Down Days

It hits us all. Those days when things just don't feel fight. Something has thrown us off a bit. That dark cloud seems to block out all the light.
Fear not! The sun is still shining brightly behind that cloud. Take heart and know that the clouds will pass and the sun will shine brightly on you again. Reach for a little better feeling thought. Sit down and read something uplifting. Recall to mind one of those empowering quotes you have committed to memory. Think about who your really are. Turn to your divine side and give thanks that you can feel that connection to God, the source of all. Consciously entertain thoughts of gratitude: your health, your loved ones, your gifts and talents. The tide will quickly turn in the direction you want to go. Feel better and rejoice in the contrast. Rejoice that you have taken charge of your life and are fashioning it on purpose.
Wait a minute...is that the sun I see peeking through those clouds?

My own "Aha Moment"

Every once in a while things become clear. Every once in a while we have an instant awakening, in Japanese, Satori. This morning while reading from Esther and Jerry Hicks' latest book, Money and the Law of Attraction, it happened to me. I came to a deeper understanding of what the Law of Attraction is all about. God, Source, the Universe wants all good things for us - health, love, abundance, a joyful life. It is up to us to understand who we really are. We are truly children of God. We posess a Divine essense. We are Divine beings in human form. As we begin to really understand this, not only intelectually but viscerally, we can start to really move in the direction of a life that is abundant in every way. I had a feeling of calm and peace about me but at the same time a feeling of excitement and anticipation about what my life is becoming. To be in that state of calm and excitement at the same time is how I want to live my life. I intend to be in that state as often as I can be.