The Hudson River

I've lived in New York State all my life but I know very little about the Hudson River and the Hudson River Valley. My wife read an article in the Martha Stewart Living magazine last week. It was a pictorial article about Boscabel, a Mansion that was built originally in the early 1800's and later rebuilt and moved in the 1950's to its current spot overlooking the mighty Hudson River.
We got in the car this morning, map in hand, and made our way to Cold Spring, NY just north of Boscabel. What a glorious fall day. The sky was blue, the air crisp and the crowds were small. On the way, we passed through Fhanestock State Park and saw groups of hikers out enjoying God's breathtaking landscapes. Wow! hiking! Talk about getting close to nature without great expense.
I think what I want to say is that there is such natural beauty and grandeur within a two hour drive that we never even contemplate experiencing. So often we put things off and stick around home, not really doing anything of much import.
Today, standing on the bank of the Hudson River right across from the US Military Academy at West Point gave me a real thrill. I was in awe of that river. It's just so wide. I just stood there imagining the first European explorers sailing up the river wondering what was around the next bend.
Oh yea, the Boscabel mansion was great too.
Get off your block and spend a day exploring.

I Feel Inspired

I feel particularly inspired this morning. I'm just about finished reading Wayne Dyer's new book Excuses Begone. He has a real ability to lay things out in a very understandable way. I feel very relaxed and confident in what I am doing. It's not about me and my success as a speaker or author. It's about my aligning with my life's purpose. My job here is to open people's minds to the possibilities of living a life of joy and fulfillment. It is to help folks see that this kind of life is available to everyone, not just a few.
This is a feeling that I would love to experience over and over again. It energizes me. It makes all my cares and worries dissapear as I venture into today. There is a lot to do and my joy lies in the doing. I don't feel any pressure as I am aligned with my Divine Source.
It's enough to be on your way.
I wonder what good will come my way today. I wonder whose life I can make a little bit better today.
To all with much love,
Jim

Old Music

I was just listening to and watching some music from my youth which still excites me. I typed in John Stewart on YouTube and found the guy I was looking for, not the tv talk show host/comedian. This John Stewart was a member of the Kingston Trio way back when folk music was getting rolling.
When I was 10 or 11 years old my older brother had some Kingston Trio records (331/3). We had no record player but every once in a while he would borrow one from a friend. When he played those songs something stirred inside me . The guitars, the harmonies, the stories just lifted me up. I was excited to the core of my being. I'll never forget that feeling, sitting on the floor of our living room in Schenectady, NY.
It was in the summer before my junior year of high school. I was working as a busboy in a snack bar at a rest stop along the NYS Thruway. I was working with all girls, mostly college kids. One night the boyfriend of one of them came along with an old guitar. We were sitting at the picnic table out back taking a break. I remember, he took a plastic spoon and broke it in half to use as a pick to play the guitar. He sang those same songs that had stirred me so right from the beginning.
It was that night that I decided that I would learn to play the guitar. I made a deal with the guy that night, trading my older brother's bongo drums for that old guitar. When I told my brother about the deal I had made he admonished me, "Ok, you can trade my bongo drums for the guitar but just promise me that you won't let the guitar sit around like I've done with my bongo drums." The rest is history. I ended up quitting my summer job because it got in the way of my learning to play that unforgettable guitar. My fingers bled from holding down those metal strings, but it was totally worth it.
That fall I made my first appearance singing in my high school's hootenany. Teaching myself to play the guitar is the best thing I've ever done in my life. (that's a slight exageration but it's right up there.)
To be continued...

Live With Passion

Be passionate about something. Be enthousiastic about something. Get excited about your life. The word enthousiasm comes from the Greek, en theos, which means with God. When you do something with enthousiasm you are getting in touch with your higher self. You are experiencing life the way it was meant to be lived. Abraham Lincoln said that it's not the years of you life that are important but the life in your years. Someone else said that it's not the number of breaths that you take that is important but the experiences that take your breath away that matter.
What makes you feel most alive? What activity that you engage in makes time fly by making you wonder where the time went? Find that activity. Make time to engage in it. Don't let weak excuses get in the way of your living the life that you were meant to live.
At the end of life people don't regret what they did, but they regret what they didn't do.
The difinition of old age is when regrets take the place of dreams. How about it? What are you waiting for?

Argue for Your Limitations and They Are Yours

Listen to your self talk. Pay attention to what thoughts you think about yourself. Many of you spend a lot of time telling yourselves reasons why you shouldn't try this or do that. You tell yourself that you want something but then go ahead and figure out why you can't get it or do it or be it. You stop yourself before you even get started. Listen to the excuses you make up: it's too hard, I'm too old, I don't have the proper training and on and on and on.
When you notice yourself focusing on your limitations, say to yourself, "Oops, there I go again". That's the time to tell yourself a different story . Stop resisting. Stop saying why you can't. Start thinking how worthy you are to have what you want. Start thinking about who you really are. You were put on this earth to be a joyfull, fulfilled, loving person. You were put here to develop your talents, whatever they are. You were put here to be the best you you can be and have fun being your best.
Start spending time every day picturing your perfect life. Feel how good it feels picturing your success. Feel the empowerment deep inside when you stop focusing on what might go wrong. Who cares what someone else might say. This is your life. Be the one who inspires others. Start today. Release the resistance and start having fun.

Feed Your Mind

I've been teaching a course in personal development in our local jail system for almost ten years now. I go there first thing on Tuesday morning. It is probably the most fulfilling time of the week for me. What an opportunity I have to experience living my life's purpose. There is no question that I get as much or more out of those 45-50 minutes than anyone in the class.
This morning we watched the first half of "The Secret". All eyes were rivoted on the tv. I have seen the movie at least ten times but every time I view it I pick up new things. It reinforces patterns of thought. It tells me again that I must continue to feed my mind daily. It's a hopeful message with specific instructions on how to fashion your life the way you want it to be. Great lessons to be had. All we have to do is seek.
Feed your mind every day.

How Amazing is Science?

Yesterday I was going on and on about how everything science has proven has eventually been overturned. Well last night the science was correct. Scientists predicted that there would be a meteor shower last night between 1:00 and 6:00 am with the heaviest concentration occuring just before 6:00 am. Sure enough, when I got up this morning at 5:40, got dressed and went outside there is was... a meteor shower. Actually I wouldn't call it a shower. It was more like one meteor every two minutes.

I sat on a lawn chair in my driveway where I had a wide view of the sky and watched, eyes wide open, looking pretty much straight ahead. Here and there appeared a quick, darting light, lasting just a split second. There was no denying it; the scientists were right on the money this time.

I watched for about 15 minutes then went inside to make my morning coffee. I felt satisfied that, if I had to report to my Creator, I would be able to give Him a blow by blow account of the meteor shower. I certainly was enjoying His Creation. The only thing missing was someone to share it with. It's always more fun when you can share the oooohs, and the aaaaahs. Maybe next time.