Planting a Seed..

So I heard a passage yesterday that goes something like this...A young man came upon a elderly man who was planting a seed in order to grow a fruit tree. The young man asked him "Why are you planting a seed for a tree whose fruit you're never going to see?" The elderly man replied, "I live my life as if I am never going to die." The young man smiled and thought to himself, "How ironic, I live my life as if today is my last day on earth!"

This interests me because many people live as if there were no guarantees of another day here on earth, me being one of them. Go for it! That's been my modo...Do it while there is still time, you never know if tomorrow your are going to get hit by a bus or something!

I think this kind of thought inspires courage to go after what you want and achieve your dreams, but it doesn't speak much to patience and being of service.

I like this new perspective of living as if I am never going to die. The thought itself gives me a chance to pause, take a deep breathe, and consider what to do next. It helps to dissolve fear and anxiety and bring me into the present moment. It also gives me an opportunity to ask,"What can I do to help the planet, an animal or another person have a better experience now and in the years to come...?"

Stop the Merry-go-round...I wanna get off!

We all have multiple voices going on in our heads, some of us are just more aware of them than others.

Isn't it interesting how we can bring up an old argument in our heads (or create a new one for that matter) with a person who is not even in the room with us? We carry on the conversation for all parties involved, completely unaware of what is going on directly in front of us, boosting our own ego in an effort to feel better about ourselves...

Or what about the conversations we have in our heads with ourselves? That's right. You can admit it. Each on of us at some point or another is talking to ourselves albeit most of us don't do it out loud! Sometimes -for those of us are blessed to have some peace- the thoughts are good and benefit us and the quality of our lives. However, quite often we will put ourselves down, discourage our own success, and sabotage our own happiness simply with the thoughts in our own heads.

My first question when realizing this is why? Why would I do that? Why do I do that? I have spent much time contemplating this and the only answer I could come up with is this; there is no why. Asking myself why gets me stuck thinking about myself some more and probably not in the most positive ways. The only chance we have to free our minds is to simply notice when we are doing it and stop.

At first, this is easier said than done. But if you are struggling with this and just want some peace of mind from time to time, here are the solutions I have found to get me off merry-go-round. They are simple, but you know what they say, the best answers usually are.

Take a deep breath and focus on your breathing until the chatter stops. We cannot think about feeling an inhale and exhale, and anything else at the same time. If that is difficult, create a break in the thought cycle by writing down a positive replacement thought. Say it each time you notice you are caught up in repetitive thinking.

If you have other techniques that help you (positive ones!) please let me know! I need all the help I can get ;) Good luck and have fun!

Go Confidently in the direction of your Dreams!

Being present for my life today is one of the most important things I can do to do experience inner peace.

Many of us unconsciously "put the blinders on" or bury our heads in the sand when it comes to changing things about ourselves which hold us back from reaching our goals or fulfilling our dreams. You know that old saying "ignorance is bliss"? Well it seems to me, once we do know what we are hiding from or not looking at and have brought light to it, that is when this saying's real meaning becomes apparent and we suddenly realize... its actually sarcasm!
Ignorance is soooo not bliss.

Bliss to me is finding the courage and strength (which is available to all of us in unlimited quantities if only we find enough faith to believe it) to direct my will power and self control to achieve the goals, dreams or vision I have for my life. But never getting to caught up in the actual how of it, just staying flexible and fluid to go where I am lead; knowing that if I pay attention and focus my intention on what I feel is the best possible way to proceed, success is inevitable.
Now "success" will be different for everyone and I use it loosely here.

But opening my eyes to all of me, releasing fear in order to access the unlimited courage and strength available to me, and using my determination, patience, will power and self control to work with this Strength (God if you like, I do ;) creates a whole new experience of life.

When I can operate in this space I do not have to worry about anything and I have so much more energy than I ever thought possible because I am not using up energy foolishly trying to hold my self back.