There is a tremendous power in gratitude!
Okay, I'm not the first one to point this out! However, this relates directly to my first post (Who Would You Rather Be? - Tuesday, December 2, 2008), so if you have read that one, this will give you additional insights - as did yesterday's post (What Went Wrong? - Wednesday, December 3, 2008).
When I wrote "Who Would You Rather Be?" I stated that "I haven't thought of a formula or concept for how to apply [the principle being discussed] to my life in every instance." The principle being discussed was that of "self-worth" - of appreciating ourselves exactly as we are in this moment, regardless of what might be going on in our lives!
Well, it just jumped out at me! Not only should we appreciate ourselves exactly as we are in this moment, but also our lives, exactly as they are in this moment!
Here's the point: almost every circumstance in our lives is there because we attracted it through our thoughts. In other words, it is there because we thought it into existence! So, if there are negatives in our life that resulted from incorrect (negative) thinking, then those negative results will motivate us to do something to eliminate them.
The wonderful thing here is that if they resulted from thought, then they can be changed by thought; and until we see the results (or have them in our lives), we don't know what needs to be changed! Once we do, then we can set about to change them; thus everything in our lives is a blessing!
This allows me to segue into an appropriate analogy. This is from T. Harv Ecker, in his book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, and it is one of the best analogies I have ever heard. (I must say that I am delighted to be able to expand on Harv's metaphor!)
The analogy is simply one of a printer that produces a Word document with a typo in it. So, upon noticing the typo, its author - who is clearly technologically-challenged - corrects the mistake by using white-out. Needing additional copies, he presses "Print" again and, to his dismay, discovers the same typo! So he grabs his white-out and again fixes the mistake; whereupon he pushes "Print" only to get the same result once again.
It is readily apparent (to those of us with above-average IQ's!) that no matter how many times our Einstein repeats the process, he will get the same result - because he is working on the effect, and not on the cause or source of the problem! The printed copies are merely effects. The cause lies within the software, not the hardware! It is with the program or, at least, a programmed result.
And so it is with the circumstances of our life. No matter how many times we try to fix the circumstances of our lives, they are only effects. They are simply output! What must be changed are the results of our program, and those results are our thoughts!
So when we see "physical" results (circumstances and events), which we do not like, then we need only look to our thoughts to see and correct the true causes. Now here is what I have to add (I think!) to Harv's analogy: while it is possible (and preferable) to correct our mistakes before printing, it is often difficult to do so until we get a "proof" copy.
And so it is with our lives. Until we have the "proof" of our thoughts, in the form of visible results (circumstances and events), we are often unaware of our (mental) mistakes. Once we see them, however, we are then (and only then, often) in a position to correct the programmed results (or thoughts) that caused them. Thus the proof, in the form or circumstances, is often - though not always - necessary in order for us to make adjustments or correct course.
So be grateful for all of it - for everything that is in your life; because if any of it is bad, then you are being appraised that you must fix your programmed results - your thoughts!
(To learn more about the "program" itself - which is your beliefs - you may refer to Chapter II, of Book III in my Secret of Life Series, available at http://www.thesecretoflifebooks.com/lawofattraction.html.)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
What Went Wrong?
Okay, let's be honest. Just how often I should post is a bit perplexing - not bad, just perplexing! Obviously I could do something every day, and maybe some would like that. I write in my journal most every day - or should when I don't! - but while that is good for me, it may be a bit much for others to read. We'll see!
I did write (in my journal - today's entry) somewhat of a reply to my first post, and I've decided to include it here as it clarifies the issue of being "100% happy with who and where we are!" Okay, here it is!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I “fell from grace” last night! Don’t worry, I haven’t “sold my soul!” I have been less than my best, however. In a word, I feared!
It started innocently enough….I saw someone whose name I could not remember, and I was embarrassed, so I didn’t simply ask him to repeat his name. We’d never formally met, actually, but I recognized him, and needed to speak with him as it turns out. For some reason, this made me feel insecure. It made me feel insecure about who I was or am. (Interesting, in light of yesterday's blog!)
I then spoke with someone else whose name I could not recall. This time I asked the person to remind me of his name, and he did. Nonetheless, I was still feeling self-conscious from my previous self-doubts, and wasn’t able to look the person in the eye. (Wow!)
Interestingly, I believe all of this started with my being nervous (fearful, actually) about having to sing in front of the group. We were at the church for a rehearsal of the program we would be putting on at the Christmas party on Friday. So, by fearing looking foolish, I attracted a number of circumstances in which I felt foolish. (Now there's a shocker!)
To top it all off, I somehow felt foolish or embarrassed in dealing with – not dealing with, actually – the youth in the church. I didn’t really know any of their names, and had only introduced myself to a few of them, though I had spoken with several of them previously. So the same less-than-adequate feelings about myself persisted.
Then they needed someone to lead the youth in singing, and I (uncomfortably!) stayed in the background and let my wife, Jan, do it. The song, Away in a Manger, isn’t a favorite, so it was probably best that I didn’t conduct it. Nonetheless, I felt weak and foolish for standing in the background, and not stepping up. (In truth, I probably wouldn't have felt the need to step up and do this, except that because I was already feeling uncomfortable about myself I probably felt the need to prove myself - to prove that I wasn't afraid!)
In a nutshell, I had allowed myself to be fearful, by picturing in my mind not performing my best. I don’t recall actually picturing that, but I know I was uncomfortable with the whole idea (even though I love to sing, and wanted to do both the duet and trio that I was going to do). In order to feel the fear, however, I had to be picturing – or, at least, thinking – unhappy or limiting thoughts, thus blocking the incoming flow of light, and feeling the negative vibes (literally!).
Clearly, one negative thought led to another! I simply wasn’t relaxed and prepared for the whole circumstance or series of events. I was less than my best, because I hadn’t prepared by visualizing a positive result. I hadn’t rehearsed mentally!
Wow! What a positive thing to understand! Because I hadn’t taken the time to visualize a positive result – because I wasn’t focused on a good outcome – my mind automatically defaulted to a negative one. Okay, that is easy enough to fix! I just have to rehearse mentally before performing anything “unto the Lord,” as the scriptures put it. Extrapolating, that means that we should put ourselves in a positive frame of mind before “performing” or doing anything!
In fact, it means that we must be focused on positive outcomes every day of our lives, and throughout every day! It is pretty simple: If we do not focus on what we want – on good things – we will, by default, focus on, or picture, what we don’t want! In a word, we must play to win! That is the right frame of mind. That is what we can always do to guarantee our best outcome or results! Life is a blessing – and I am grateful! What a thrill it is to be alive!
I did write (in my journal - today's entry) somewhat of a reply to my first post, and I've decided to include it here as it clarifies the issue of being "100% happy with who and where we are!" Okay, here it is!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I “fell from grace” last night! Don’t worry, I haven’t “sold my soul!” I have been less than my best, however. In a word, I feared!
It started innocently enough….I saw someone whose name I could not remember, and I was embarrassed, so I didn’t simply ask him to repeat his name. We’d never formally met, actually, but I recognized him, and needed to speak with him as it turns out. For some reason, this made me feel insecure. It made me feel insecure about who I was or am. (Interesting, in light of yesterday's blog!)
I then spoke with someone else whose name I could not recall. This time I asked the person to remind me of his name, and he did. Nonetheless, I was still feeling self-conscious from my previous self-doubts, and wasn’t able to look the person in the eye. (Wow!)
Interestingly, I believe all of this started with my being nervous (fearful, actually) about having to sing in front of the group. We were at the church for a rehearsal of the program we would be putting on at the Christmas party on Friday. So, by fearing looking foolish, I attracted a number of circumstances in which I felt foolish. (Now there's a shocker!)
To top it all off, I somehow felt foolish or embarrassed in dealing with – not dealing with, actually – the youth in the church. I didn’t really know any of their names, and had only introduced myself to a few of them, though I had spoken with several of them previously. So the same less-than-adequate feelings about myself persisted.
Then they needed someone to lead the youth in singing, and I (uncomfortably!) stayed in the background and let my wife, Jan, do it. The song, Away in a Manger, isn’t a favorite, so it was probably best that I didn’t conduct it. Nonetheless, I felt weak and foolish for standing in the background, and not stepping up. (In truth, I probably wouldn't have felt the need to step up and do this, except that because I was already feeling uncomfortable about myself I probably felt the need to prove myself - to prove that I wasn't afraid!)
In a nutshell, I had allowed myself to be fearful, by picturing in my mind not performing my best. I don’t recall actually picturing that, but I know I was uncomfortable with the whole idea (even though I love to sing, and wanted to do both the duet and trio that I was going to do). In order to feel the fear, however, I had to be picturing – or, at least, thinking – unhappy or limiting thoughts, thus blocking the incoming flow of light, and feeling the negative vibes (literally!).
Clearly, one negative thought led to another! I simply wasn’t relaxed and prepared for the whole circumstance or series of events. I was less than my best, because I hadn’t prepared by visualizing a positive result. I hadn’t rehearsed mentally!
Wow! What a positive thing to understand! Because I hadn’t taken the time to visualize a positive result – because I wasn’t focused on a good outcome – my mind automatically defaulted to a negative one. Okay, that is easy enough to fix! I just have to rehearse mentally before performing anything “unto the Lord,” as the scriptures put it. Extrapolating, that means that we should put ourselves in a positive frame of mind before “performing” or doing anything!
In fact, it means that we must be focused on positive outcomes every day of our lives, and throughout every day! It is pretty simple: If we do not focus on what we want – on good things – we will, by default, focus on, or picture, what we don’t want! In a word, we must play to win! That is the right frame of mind. That is what we can always do to guarantee our best outcome or results! Life is a blessing – and I am grateful! What a thrill it is to be alive!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Who Would You Rather Be?
Good morning, world! Yes, I know, it isn't really morning (today, at least) anywhere in the world right now! However, mornings are wonderful because they afford us a new beginning every day of our lives. Think about how beautiful that is....Every day has a night-time during which we are blessed to sleep (most of the time, at least, unless we have new additions to the family or work unusual hours); and every day has a morning, in which we can start all over again! Wow!
In this, my very first post (anywhere, ever!), I am particularly excited about what happened this morning. That isn't really accurate. It is more truthful to say that I am excited about what I did this morning. For the most part, life isn't about what "happens" to us. It is mostly about what we do with what happens.
Without going into detail, I will simply state that not everything was as we (my wife, Jan, and I) might have preferred. We'll leave it at that. Nonetheless, we had gotten up reasonably early, and gone about our morning routine of reading, contemplating, and praying; and then went for our every-other-day walk. (We go to the gym MWF.) As we walked, we discussed the various options we had regarding the challenge we were faced with - among other topics of conversation. As we entered the last half-mile of our mile and a half stroll, I asked her if she would rather be "so and so," whom we know, who has zero concerns in the area we were being stretched by, but is perhaps fifty pounds overweight.
Jan has become a fitness queen over the past eight to ten months, and looks great! So, I asked if she would rather be where she is, with the particular challenge that she is facing, or be "so and so," with no problems in this area - but a health and weight issue. As is Jan's custom, she was pensive....(As a side note, if you are a friend, and you are wondering if we were talking about you, that can only be a reflection of how you view yourself. Ouch!)
To make my point, I will just tell you what my response to the question was. I told her that there was not a single other person on the planet that I would rather be, given the exact circumstances that we now face, along with every other aspect of our lives. I simply wouldn't want to be anyone else, under any circumstance! In other words, I was 100% happy with who I was, and wouldn't for a moment want to trade places with anyone else on earth. Period! (Exclamation point!)
Now, you might think I was just saying those things, but I can tell you that I wasn't. I felt that (and feel it now) on every level of my being. I was 100% satisfied with who I was (am), and wouldn't want to be anyone or anywhere else - in spite of any challenges that might be going on in our lives. Now that was a blessing! I wouldn't want to be anyone else on the planet - regardless of anything that we might be facing in life. I just have to tell you that that was a wonderful insight and realization - a wonderful feeling! I was (and am) thrilled to be me - regardless of whatever difficulties I might have in the near or long term. I wouldn't want to be anyone else! (I think you get the idea.)
Okay. Within an hour and a half of our conversation, Jan had come up with a solution to our challenge! Now here is the interesting thing: I felt tremendously grateful for the solution; but I did not feel one bit different about who I was, or who I wanted to be. That was simply a fact, and it remains so. The good news that ensued was simply a confirmation of what I had already decided in my heart - and yes, the confirmation felt good, but it didn't change my feelings about myself! I felt good (before and after), and I was grateful (before and after, as well)!
I haven't thought of a formula or concept for how to apply this to my life in every instance, but I do know this: it is absolutely essential that we like who we are, and what we are doing - where we are going, better put. If we have solved that issue, then all of the rest will fall in place. In the meantime, we can be happy regardless of what is going on around us if we just ask ourselves the question: Would I rather be anyone or anywhere else in the world right now? (To clarify, when I say "anywhere" else, I don't really mean in a physical or geographical sense; I mean in the sense of "where we are going" in life.)
So be grateful for who you are, and if you don't like some things that are going on in your life, change them! (When I used to live in Texas, there was a bumper sticker that read: "If you don't have an oil well, get one!") Meanwhile, be grateful to be you, and be the best you that you can be! That is certainly one of the keys to happiness and success in life!
In this, my very first post (anywhere, ever!), I am particularly excited about what happened this morning. That isn't really accurate. It is more truthful to say that I am excited about what I did this morning. For the most part, life isn't about what "happens" to us. It is mostly about what we do with what happens.
Without going into detail, I will simply state that not everything was as we (my wife, Jan, and I) might have preferred. We'll leave it at that. Nonetheless, we had gotten up reasonably early, and gone about our morning routine of reading, contemplating, and praying; and then went for our every-other-day walk. (We go to the gym MWF.) As we walked, we discussed the various options we had regarding the challenge we were faced with - among other topics of conversation. As we entered the last half-mile of our mile and a half stroll, I asked her if she would rather be "so and so," whom we know, who has zero concerns in the area we were being stretched by, but is perhaps fifty pounds overweight.
Jan has become a fitness queen over the past eight to ten months, and looks great! So, I asked if she would rather be where she is, with the particular challenge that she is facing, or be "so and so," with no problems in this area - but a health and weight issue. As is Jan's custom, she was pensive....(As a side note, if you are a friend, and you are wondering if we were talking about you, that can only be a reflection of how you view yourself. Ouch!)
To make my point, I will just tell you what my response to the question was. I told her that there was not a single other person on the planet that I would rather be, given the exact circumstances that we now face, along with every other aspect of our lives. I simply wouldn't want to be anyone else, under any circumstance! In other words, I was 100% happy with who I was, and wouldn't for a moment want to trade places with anyone else on earth. Period! (Exclamation point!)
Now, you might think I was just saying those things, but I can tell you that I wasn't. I felt that (and feel it now) on every level of my being. I was 100% satisfied with who I was (am), and wouldn't want to be anyone or anywhere else - in spite of any challenges that might be going on in our lives. Now that was a blessing! I wouldn't want to be anyone else on the planet - regardless of anything that we might be facing in life. I just have to tell you that that was a wonderful insight and realization - a wonderful feeling! I was (and am) thrilled to be me - regardless of whatever difficulties I might have in the near or long term. I wouldn't want to be anyone else! (I think you get the idea.)
Okay. Within an hour and a half of our conversation, Jan had come up with a solution to our challenge! Now here is the interesting thing: I felt tremendously grateful for the solution; but I did not feel one bit different about who I was, or who I wanted to be. That was simply a fact, and it remains so. The good news that ensued was simply a confirmation of what I had already decided in my heart - and yes, the confirmation felt good, but it didn't change my feelings about myself! I felt good (before and after), and I was grateful (before and after, as well)!
I haven't thought of a formula or concept for how to apply this to my life in every instance, but I do know this: it is absolutely essential that we like who we are, and what we are doing - where we are going, better put. If we have solved that issue, then all of the rest will fall in place. In the meantime, we can be happy regardless of what is going on around us if we just ask ourselves the question: Would I rather be anyone or anywhere else in the world right now? (To clarify, when I say "anywhere" else, I don't really mean in a physical or geographical sense; I mean in the sense of "where we are going" in life.)
So be grateful for who you are, and if you don't like some things that are going on in your life, change them! (When I used to live in Texas, there was a bumper sticker that read: "If you don't have an oil well, get one!") Meanwhile, be grateful to be you, and be the best you that you can be! That is certainly one of the keys to happiness and success in life!
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