You, Your Questions, and Your Heart Are So Needed Now

Lately I have been thinking and feeling that the world we live in offers us lots of challenges. There is a subtle but constant pressure to conform, to think like others think, to accept what is, to not question leaderships, to be ok with what is, to be weary of those who have different beliefs, to judge everyone and everything as good or bad. The individual is encouraged to give him or herself over the prevailing thoughts and beliefs of those in the “know” and to buy into the corporate think that the profit motive gives permission to act in any way necessary.

I have my own unique point of view that real differs from the others. I feel it is absolutely essential that you and I question what is going on. I also feel it takes great heart and courage to do so. There is so much we need to look more closely at and than determine, when needed, how to bring about positive change.

Is it ok that good health care is unavailable to many because of the huge profit making going on in the insurance, medical and pharmaceutical industries? Do you know Americans are prescribed more drugs than any other country? Is it ok that oil companies are making record profits out of our wallets? Is it ok that we were lead into the War in Iraq by a mass of misinformation? Is it ok that terrorist alerts are regularly spread through the media for political purposes? Fear is a powerful tool for control of the people.

Is it ok that religious leaders of one point of view can dictate to the rest of us how we should believe and act? Is it ok that some CEO’s run their companies with god like powers and without regard for the people, planet and future generations? It is as if the so-called “Me” culture is now running many of our heartless companies. Don’t you get tired of the news being so focused on the negative and fear generating stories? Is it really news anymore or just entertainment driven sensation?

Well I am on a rant today. Please excuse my lack of respect for what is. Is there anyone in our leadership in this country looking out for the good of the people, for you and me? Has the Congress or the President tended to the needs of the people or to the interests they are financed by? OOPs there I go again. When I start questioning, I have so many questions that I can hardly stop. I hope that happens to you too. There is much that is going on in the world that truly needs to be questions. The talk shows are really a bunch of talking head that lack any true heart or soul. The leaders say one thing and then continue to fund the war and kill more and more people, both our soldiers and the Iraqis, and somehow in a twisted way that is ok? Yikes I can’t stop wondering why all this stuff is going on that feels wrong to me and yet it continues?

Ok, so what can you and I do about things that matter to us? Maybe you want justice for all, or universal health care, or the end of humans killing each other for some cause, or to end world hunger, or to save the planet, or a peaceful world full of understanding and compassion? Whatever it is, make a commitment today to do something every week to make a difference. Maybe it is a letter to your congressional representative. It could be that you volunteer for an organization that works for justice, feeds the hungry, works for health care for all, or whatever it is. Maybe you start a blog and rant, spread your ideas, help people turn on the light of their own minds and hearts. The important thing is that you stir the pot and stop stewing in it. Do things that feel right. Let your heart and your inner wisdom guide you. You are so needed now.

Desire, Intention, Expectation: 3 Magnetic Steps to Success

This week I find myself very energized about creating more success in my life. I have the tools and now I want to raise the focus. My last two journal entries have focused on visualization because I can feel the power of that and know also from many others how well our inner picturing works. I want to give you three more ideas today that frankly will start an unstoppable force in you. This force you can use to bring about whatever results you want.

DESIRE – The desire you feel inside is an inner calling to more fully realize who you are. Desire is a very positive force for your own good. If you want something like more money, a loving relationship, true freedom, more influence, a better world or whatever it is, that is a part of you seeking a higher realization. The pursuit of your desires takes you on a path that is full of energy and determination. You may have encountered other viewpoints that suggest desire is not good. Those viewpoints are more interested in controlling and limiting you. A person filled with desire follows his or her own path.

Find out what your desires are and give respect to their higher nature. With more money, you can do more positive things. With the love you want, you can give more love and compassion to the world. With the freedom you desire, you can open up to new experiences and be a more conscious and understanding human being. With more influence, you can have the power to make a real difference in the world. If you want to make the world a better place, than pursue your desire to do so. That is called, living with purpose.

INTENTION – When you know what your desires are then you can set an intention to manifest what you want. Intention is using the mind to focus your efforts on specific outcomes. Intention is gathering your inner forces to power you toward the results you want. Visualization is a key part of intention. See it, feel it, sense it in every part of your being and your intention will become a magnetic force for what you want.

Setting an intention each day is a great way to start. Today my intention is: to be open to love; to attract more money; to have my best sales day ever; to speak up about things that matter; to be more compassionate with myself and other; to be more conscious; to exercise and be more fit; to express my creativity; to listen better; to focus more on my business; to follow my intuition; or whatever you want to make happen. Intentions are powerful so choose what you most want for your higher good.

EXPECTATION – Think of expectation as the energy of emotions. When you expect something to happen, you set your feelings on the results you want. Expectation is very forceful and can be a double-edged sword. The force for good is one in which you set yourself on a course to live into a positive expectation. Those expectations, and your journey to them, feel guided by the light of a higher path. The limiting force is one driven by ego and power. These expectations put limits on you and those around you. Expectation colors everything around it with emotions and can supercharge the results you seek.

Set expectations that expand you and encourage you. Go where you haven’t gone before through the inspiration of your expectations. If you fall short of expectations, and that will happen at times, don’t take it personally. Instead take this a feedback and adjust your flight pattern to reflect more refined expectations. The goal here is to live into an expectation that is overflowing with what you want.

With desire, intention and expectation, you can change you at a very deep level. This inner alteration will open yourself to the extraordinary life you long for now in your being.

See It, Rehearse It, Live It

I would like to share with you a few more thoughts about the power of visualizing. There is an incredible energy and inner resourcefulness that comes from caring a vision of what you want. Seeing what you want and seeing it over and over again can keep you focused and charged up. The more you see and feel the results you seek the more you build an inner charge for success. When the charge gets strong enough it pulls you through rough times and pushes you forward on the road to success. What you see inside can literally make a huge difference in what you make happen in your life.

Athletes use a practice called mental rehearsal that uses the power of visualization to improve performance. I have worked with bicyclist, distance runners, tennis players, swimmers, baseball and football players, golfers and gymnasts. One of the gymnasts I had the pleasure of working with won the national championship for the still rings competition at the high school level. He had great physical skills and strength and when he got his visualization working well his thinking and emotions took him to the top of his competition.

If you watch most athletes you can see them using visualization before their competition. You can use that same skill set to take you higher and to enable you to realize your highest goals. You can go into a meeting in which you have already visualized the results you want. You can take on a challenge and see the successful finish line long before you set off on the course. You can see money roll in or the congratulations surrounding you and feel it in every cell before you make it a reality. See it, feel it and rehearse it before and celebrate after.

Here is a simple practice to explore for visualizing you to success:
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Take 10 slow deep breaths emphasizing the exhale by making sure every last bit of oxygen is released and then let the body inhale slowly and deeply. Fill the bottom of the lungs and belly first and then slowly fill to the top of the head with your inhale. After the ten breaths you will be more relaxed and receptive. Then create the picture of the results you want. Let’s say you want to win the best sales person of your company or be an Olympic Gold medal winner. You set your goals, feel yourself in powerful action, see yourself having the results you want, and experience the rush of those cheering your success. So you, see it, feel it, smell it, taste it, and rehearse it until the goal is realized. At all times you remain calm and focused. Excitement and anticipation are great too but more in a kind of quiet intensity. Hold the visualization until it feels like it is imprinted in your mind and the cells of your body. When you are ready get up and go make it happen.

Then when the time comes and you reach your goals be grateful and celebrate what you have done. That is the power of visualization. You can do everything with the end in mind and see yourself living into the life you created with the visions you carry inside. That is such a great feeling.

If You Can See It, You Can Make It Happen

You and I have within us an amazing ability. That ability is called visualization. Visualization is when mind’s eye sees what it wants to experience or create. When you visualize, you look inside and create an inner picture of what you want to manifest in the physical world. If you can see it (visualize it), you can make it happen.

Why is visualization so powerful? Let me give you an example of how powerful your visualization is. I want you to imagine that in front of you are a cutting board, a sharp knife and lemon. Now in your imagination pick up that knife and slice the lemon about ¾ of the way through it. Then pick up the lemon and break it the rest of the way in half, see the spray of juice as you do that. Then take the lemon and stick it in your mouth and suck on it. Did your lips pucker; could you taste the lemon? That shows you how the inner seeing can create an experience of something as if it is real.

Visualization is the inner ability to see something as if it is real. How do you go about doing that? Here is a way I have found most effective. Imagine there is a small movie screen inside your forehead. On that screen is where you picture the results you want to create. Some people are more visual and the screen idea works very well. Other people are more auditory so your visualization will be more in the way you say what you want to see in your life. A third group of people may tend to feel things more than see them or hear them. This group needs to feel what it would be like to have what you want in life. Most people have some ability to do all three; see, hear and feel when they visualize. Think back for a moment to the lemon, was the lemon something you saw or was more a word you heard or a feeling experience? Whatever the case, they all work.

Now to add even more power to you visualization and include all your senses. Let’s say you wanted a piece of warm apple pie for breakfast. Does that get your senses going or what? Now on you inner screen see this plump slice of apple pie coming out of the oven/microwave steaming warm. Smell the apple pie, feel the warmth, hear the juices bubbling, notice your mouth watering. Now take your fork into your hand and take a nice big piece of the pie and stick it in your mouth. I don’t know about you, but I am leaving now to go to my favorite bakery to get a slice of apple pie.

I am back now. Hold on a minute, I need to wipe the crumbs of my face so they don’t fall onto my keyboard. Did you see that, hear it, or feel it or were all three involved? The important idea here is the more multiple senses are involved the more power the visualization.

The next step here is to take a few minutes to think about something you really want to have more of in your life. Let me take wild guess and say more money would be good. Having more money is something you can visualize. Let me give you some examples. You could visualize having a stack of $100 bills in your hand. You could see a bank statement with $100,000 dollars in your checking account or $1,000,000 in your invest funds. You could hear the your personal banker say congratulations on reaching you goal of having $50,000 dollars in your savings. You could hear your wealth management person call you and say, “your investments are doing very well and I have an idea on how you can take $250,000 and double it in the next 90 days” and you say, “Yes!” You could feel what it feels like to have total financial freedom. How would you feel it you had passive streams of income that met and exceeded all of your needs? Do you have a feeling for how this visualization works?

Take some time to explore and experiment. Start with something small and easy to imagine. Let’s say you wanted to meet a friend at your favorite coffee shop. See it, hear it, smell it, taste it, and feel it. He or she calls or you call and it happens easily and just how you had seen it. Then build on your small successes.

The best time to visualize is when you wake up in the morning and/or just before going to sleep at night. Plant a strong and clear image in your mind and watch the results manifest.

Let me know how it goes. If you have any ideas, responses or questions, leave a comment below or email me at explorelifeblog@gmail.com

Weekend Fun, Mt Evans and Steamboat Springs

I hope I have been stirring you up and making your mind work and your heart open. Today I am going to take a little different course. I wanted to put something to do with Summer adventures on one of my weekend posts. Today is more of a travel log and I share it because I think you might find it interesting.

Saturday after I posted my blog, Bobbi and I loaded up the car and headed off on weekend road trip. Colorado has much to explore and I have only lived here a couple of years. Saturday we decided to drive to the top of Mt Evans. We ran into a slight problem because the road was full of people who road their bikes up to the top. I want to put this in perspective. I love to ride my bike and I like to challenge myself to keep fit. These people rode about 15 miles up to an elevation of over 14,000 feet. Can you imagine how hard that was? It makes some of the Tour de France climbs seem manageable. I was in awe as we drove past these dedicated athletes. After the awe past, I wondered why someone would put him or herself through such a painful experience? Challenging ourselves has many benefits. Is pain a necessary part of that? I don’t know.

Anyway this mountain is huge and the views even with a thunderstorm near by were amazing. I have never been that high before except when in airplane. It has been very hot lately but not up there. It was 42 degrees compared to 95 degrees down below. The air and views were invigorating.

After Mt Evans, we headed east and north with the goal of making it to Steamboat Springs. I had never been there and many people really like this place both Winter and Summer. Steamboat Springs sits in this very large green valley surrounded by mountains. The town is simple and easy to enjoy and the mountains offer places to explore. I had the best eggplant parmesan ever in a busy family Italian restaurant called Mazzola’s. Feeling particularly spunky, we decided to celebrate the good dinner with a milkshake for dessert. I almost blew up and that would have been the end to my blog. That was a crazy impulse and I suffered for it for several plump hours. Food is part of any Summer adventure.

Today we drove back from Steamboat vie North Park, through the Poudre Canyon to Ft Collins. The mountain passes and the Poudre River Canyon are part of what going for a summer drive is all about. This was nature at its best and so enjoyable. Heavy traffic because of the thousands of people on the river tubing, rafting and kayaking made the drive seem longer and we were glad to get to Fort Collins. Ft Collins is a nice little college town and we played some golf there and had dinner and headed home. Glad to be home and also grateful for all we saw and did in two days.

Hope you had a good weekend too?

9 Points From The Movie “Sicko” Every American Should Know

I saw the movie Sicko by Michael Moore last night I must admit to leaving the theater feeling upset and filled with questions about what you and I can do? Here are 9 points that stand out for me and that I think you should know from this film.

1. We are the only country of the Western industrial powers that does not have universal health care.
2. In counties that have universal health care there is a longer average life span and lesser infant mortality then here in the USA.
3. In Cuba, a poor country, the health care is free and of very high quality. Cuban doctors provided free humanity medical services to places in need around the world. They also provided free care to three emergency workers from the New York City 9/11 site that were not able to get reasonable care in the USA.
4. The number of lobbyist in Washington DC supporting the medical and pharmaceuticals industries far exceeds the number of elected officials in Congress. There is a huge amount of money spent on influence.
5. Insurance companies don’t pay benefits for one main reason – that is to maximize profits. Insurance company profits and CEO pay has sky rocketed upwards in the last 25 years.
6. Medication in the countries with universal health care is very low cost and free for those in need. In the USA there is almost no regulations on medication pricing and profit making.
7. The prisoners at Guantanamo Bay receive free medical and dental care that is better then many in the USA.
8. In countries where people live in fear, in debt, without the care they need, or are down on themselves, they don’t turn out to vote. If this group voted there would be a massive change in results for the betterment of people.
9. The USA is one of the richest countries in the world and yet we take some of the poorest care of those in need.

What should we do? We can make a difference.

The Rainforests Can Teach You How to Make a Difference

Last night I had the great privilege of sharing my evening with about 75 people here in Boulder as we listened to Lynne Twist talk about Pachamama Alliance  www.pachamama.org.  Lynne is the former executive director of the World Hunger Project and one of the world’s greatest fundraisers. If you ever get an opportunity to hear Lynne speak please go listen and have your heart touched. Lynne’s heart is as big as the earth and she spreads much love and light wherever she goes. She is one of the caretakers of the planet.

The Pachamama Alliance is about saving the Amazon Rainforest which is a kind of the breathing center for the earth. The Achuar are the indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Rainforest. Until 1997 the Achuar had no contact with the outside world. They are a dream culture that uses their dreams to live in harmony and to work out their challenges. In their dreams the Achuar had seen the coming of a threat from the outside world before it occurred (the oil companies where going to attempt to buy rights to search for oil from the government of Ecuador). They sensed what they needed to do was to make contact through their dreams with powerful people on the planet to help them. Lynne was one of 12 people called in her dreams to go. I know that sounds a little strange but listen to Lynne tell the story and you will get goose bumps.

What came out of her contact with the Achuar was that Lynne left the passionate work of the World Hunger Project to others and started the Pachamama Alliance. She knew nothing about the rainforest and the environment but once she and her husband met the people and saw what was at stake, she had no choice but take this call of the rainforest on. She commited herself fully to saving rainforest and saving the planet. If you are interested check out the website and learning more at www.pachamama.org. Don’t missing seeing the video on the site called a New Dream.

Why does this matter to you and I and our lives? There are several key ingredients here about the health of the planet and civilization. One is the indigenous people have much to teach us about nature, balance, harmony and heart. There is a real need for those lessons in the world we live in.

Another is the planet needs the rainforest to be healthy. This huge belt of thriving biodiversity keeps the earth breathing with life. Watch the New Dream video and you will see what I am talking about.

Thirdly it is now time we start thinking for future generations so that those still to come have a planet to live on that can sustain them? The earth is our home and you and I need to take care of it as we do for our house and our family. We all share this planet together.

I haven’t written very much about the environment but it is always on my mind. If you want to explore the subject more take some time to learn from Alliance information and find out about the ideas of sustainability, greening your home and business and about your carbon footprint.

Together with knowledge, compassion and consciousness there is no limit to the good we can do and the positive influence we can have in the world.

The Silent Force Of Giving From Your Heart

Today I wanted to talk with you about a powerful force you can release in your life. That force is called giving. When you and I give, we set into motion a reaction that will bring back to us the same energy of our giving. In other words if we joyfully give to someone our time or help them in some way, that sets into motion that giving or help coming back to us in some form. What we put out comes back to us. The quality of our giving also makes a difference. If you and I give with joy, love, passion, and enthusiasm than our giving will be more powerful. If we give out of obligation and hesitation, the giving has much less force. Money given to an individual or organization that you feel very supportive of and want to encourage their success is a powerful force released to do good both for the receiver and the giver.

What are some ways of giving that can make a difference in the world and in your life? One way of giving is to give money. Money is a very useful commodity and when it is given to support a cause you believe in then it is money you feel good about giving. This kind of giving is most powerful when you charge it with positive thoughts and visualize it being used to make a difference. Giving is best when you feel a strong inner knowing that this is right and what you want to do. When you give from such high intention, you will receive in some way from an equally high place. Does that make sense?

Another way of giving is to give of your time. Volunteering is a wonderful way of giving. When you give your time then you always get back something of equal value. I know many people who have an organization they love to volunteer for because they feel so good for helping out. These good feelings from helping out sometimes seem so much more than they have given. There are many opportunities in your community for giving, just check your local paper to find where the needs are and what you would enjoy doing.

One way of giving is through our thoughts and blessings/prayers/meditations. You can give quietly with intention to those who you feel can use support. If you have a friend who is struggling then sit quietly and send them your love. Do you know someone you feel gratitude towards? You can sit and send them the positive energy of gratefulness. How about a family member in a major transition in life? You can see them in your mind and heart doing well, enjoying their new freedom, being uplifted by life, realizing who they are more fully or having whatever qualities they need to thrive in their life. You can even bless those who have you over for dinner, your employer, your co-workers, your friends etc. All these quiet thank yous are a kind way of giving and appreciating.

As I was writing this I got some insight myself. Giving also gives me an opportunity to value what I give. I write this blog every day to be an inspiration to those that read it. My giving is because I want to make a positive difference in your life and in the world. I just understood in a new and deeper way that this giving through writing is of value, no matter the results or how many people read it, because it is my giving from my heart and my consciousness. I just sat up a little more now realizing that this blog is about me giving the best I know how to give. This writing is of real value because it comes from my purpose that is about uplifting and inspiring the higher realization of you and me. Anything done with passion and purpose and filled with compassion is a great offering to the world.

I was inspired to write this journal entry by the Deepak Chopra’s book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. His chapter on giving is a wonderful teaching. Thank you Deepak for the light you send out into the world.

For it is in giving that we receive.
St. Francis of Assisi

There's a great joy in my giving. It's thrilling. It's exhilarating. It's important to be a part of sharing. It is my love. It is my joy.
W. Clement Stone

Today Is A Very Good Day To Be Alive

Today is a very good day to be alive. Why, because it is the best possible option I have. If I am going to live my life as fully as I can, I need to start with today. Today I can appreciate all that I have as it is. I can choose how to view this day and what happens. Each day offers me multiple choices and I choose how to experience each of those moments. The key here is choice and what I do with it? It is these choice points where I shape my experience of my life moment by moment.

My options are to take this day as a gift and to be grateful for another day of living or I can grumble, mumble and stumble through the day. I can be unconscious and just be run by habit and fear or I can be awake and make my day one of purpose and intention. I can be discouraged or challenged by what the day presents to me. I can give and receive love or I can close down and protect. I can enjoy what is presented to me, or struggle with my self-limiting mind. I can look at what happens as results and feedback and move to be better or I can complain and blame and shrink my sense of self.

Each moment there are choices and each choice flavors the moment. There can be exquisite moments of pure joy, freedom, understanding and celebration and moments of peace, satisfaction, comfort and flow. Sure there will be bumps along the way but those bumps remind you the journey along this road is not always smooth. As I wrote the above sentence, I had this clear image of traveling in a jeep along a bumpy road and my body bobbing through beautiful places in nature and have this banquet for the eyes as I take in these jaw-dropping scenes. Kind of a metaphor for life isn’t it. There is so much wonder and beauty available to us, yet much of the time you and I are focused on just hanging on and we miss the scenes as they unfold. Maybe it is time to get our of the car and walk, decide our own pace, take in what we want when and how we want to?

Look around and see what you have created? Does it free you up or tie you down? If things are working great, than adjustments are not called for now? If your life is not working the way you want it to, than it is time to look at what needs to change and what new direction to explore. Maybe it is time to simplify, or take a break, try a new strategy or consult for another perspective? Course correction along the way is an essential part of any successful journey through life.

It comes down to you making your life happen the way you want it to and that is good news. You with your choices can create a wonderful existence for you and those that travel with you. Be bold, take chances, stretch beyond your fears and most of all find the joy in the moment.

Let's Appreciate and Celebrate the Human Family

I was thinking the other day that most people I meet are easy to talk with, kind and considerate. I decided it was time to write about how much I appreciate my fellow inhabitants of this beautiful globe. When I have an opportunity to sit and talk with people I often discover how much we share in the way of wants and hopes for in this life.

Most people are: trying to the be the best they can be; they want the best for others too; they are compassionate and caring; they are concerned about the health of the planet for those in the next generation; they want everyone to have all the food, shelter and health care available; and they all hope for a better and safer world. I would say that we all have much more in common then we have significant differences. Sure there are differences in religious and political beliefs but still you and I all want the best for ourselves, our families and for everyone else.

There seems to be a disconnect in the media however. If you and I watch the news or listen to talk radio regularly, we probably have a negative distorted view of our fellow human kind. It seems what gets shown and talked about are the exceptions, the people who are killers, rapist, terrorist, greedy, self-abusive, extremist, very damaged, etc. The percentage of people who fall into exceptions category has to be under .1%.

I think it would be safe to say 99.9% of the people are worth getting to know. Take the time today to talk with someone new. Find out what is important to them and what their hopes are. Look around and notice the kind and considerate gestures, the smiles, the nods of hellos, and the friendly interactions. Everyone is just living their lives and finding ways to enjoy what they have. Even those having a bad day, you and I can understand and have compassion for because we have been there too.

You and I share this planet with many others and in essences we are one large family. We naturally want the best for everyone in our family. The times we live in bring us all much closer to each other. The internet keeps us in touch. There are people who read this blog all over the world. There is so much we can gain by exploring our connections. Together we can resolve all of our problems with understanding and heart. There are those who want to keep us in fear and divided for control purpose but they need to be ignored. Look around today and say hi to your brothers and sisters and appreciate them for who they are. Our differences are primarily only superficial. Join me and others who are seeking common ground and open to appreciating the beauty and wonder of each other. There is much to live for and celebrate about when we get to know each other. Let love, peace, acceptance and understanding be our guide.

Making the Best of Each Day

Today is another day and I want to make the best of it. I am sitting here open to inspiration and letting my intuition be my guide as I write this. The way to start the day off strongly is to think about how I want this day to turn out. When I set my mind to work on what kind of results I want than I am off to a good start.

Today I will create more success for my blog and for our Peace Together company; I will be of service to those I assist at my afternoon management consultation work for an employee assistance program; I will be open in my heart to all those I come in contact with especially my wife and friends; I will be conscious and aware throughout my day; I will work out to enhance my fitness and health; and I will be open to more joy, peace, freedom and money flowing through my life. Wow! this looks like a busy day doesn’t it? I do have a full agenda I am working on and I feel good about that because I am stretching myself towards my highest self-realization. Now adding my visualization and my emotional energy to these thoughts will kick the results into high gear.

What is your day like? What do you hope to achieve? How are you stretching yourself? Each day is an opportunity to set your intention and to create the results you want. Yesterday is over and tomorrow isn’t here yet, so today is what you have to work with. Take the time to get clear about what you want to have in your life. Set a plan in action to bring about these results. Take time each morning and/or night to visualize having what you want in your life and to also be grateful for what you do have and what is coming your way. Feel in your heart and body how it will feel to have this wonderful life. Feel it with such an intensity that the universe takes note and helps you create what you desire.

Clarity, Intention, Visualize, Feel, Plan, Action, Gratitude these are the key components. Get clear, set the intention and alignment it with your purpose and values, see it and feel it, set a plan of action and do it, and then celebrate the results with gratitude and joy. This is a simple formula and you can make it work starting today. Simple and effective but it takes you’re your focus and follow through each day.

Lets make this the best day and week you and I have had in a long time. Isn’t it reassuring to know you have the power to make things happen in positive and productive ways?

Have a great day.

Your Life and The Tour De France Have Something In Common

I have been watching the Tour De France this morning and loving it for the drama of a real reality show and for the beautiful views of the French Alps. Those athletes are amazing in the face of mountains and their challenges. You too are amazing with you ability to take on the ups and downs of life and still remain enthusiastic and determined. Like this endurance race, you know how to keep on going and make the best of the circumstances. Give yourself a big pat on the back. You are extraordinary whether anyone else even notices or not.

Yesterday, I wrote about freedom in the realm of the political world. Today I want to again write about freedom from an inner perspective. I think personal freedom is a real key to a happy and successful life. The starting point for freedom begins inside of you and I. I know if I am critical of myself and lack compassion for who I am and my journey than I can make my life miserable. My thoughts and feeling shape my experience of the world. If I want to be free I need to make sure my thinking and heart are aligned with who I am and are encouraging and supportive.

Inner freedom is possible through tending to what is going on inside emotionally and mentally. Here are 5 ways to set you free to be your best.

1. Shrink the inner critic. This rude learned criticism has no value, unless you value feeling bad. Instead let you inner dialogue be positive, supportive and encouraging. You will feel so much better and truly free if you accomplish this transition to a mind that is a friend.
2. Let your emotions be free. Too often you and I may try to control or deny emotions because they may be difficult in some way. All your feelings are ok and if you just watch them they come and go on their own. Feel what you feel and then move on.
3. Align with purpose and values. Know what matters to you most and then live by them. Let you most important values be your guidelines for how you live. Let your purpose be the engine that drives you to your highest realization. When on purpose and guided by values, you are free.
4. Quiet your mind or at least slow it down. A quiet mind is a huge reservoir of potential in waiting. Waiting for inner wisdom to speak, for intuition to inspired you, for the Infinite mind to work through you. A quiet mind is real freedom.
5. Love yourself unconditionally. Not matter what you have been taught or think, you are fully and completely worth loving and accepting as you are this moment. Time to drop the judging of who you are and instead truly love yourself. Self-love will make your life so much more fun and free.

Hope your ride through life is fully of love, joy, peace and freedom.

If You Value Freedom, You Participation Is Needed

Today I was selling our peace t-shirts at a summer festival and I got to talk about peace. I love to talk about politics and what we can do to make the world a better place. I think the political process is very interesting and also it can be frustrating. There are many points of view thrown into this big pot that our founding fathers started and this brew just continues to cook. Some times the results are delicious and sometimes frankly things stink. Each of us adds our own spice to the brew and the flavor can be nice. If too many special interests dump in their big scoops of influence the stink really rises to the top. If you take a whiff now days you know your point of view and involvement is badly needed.

People who say that aren’t political, make me wonder if they care about what is going on in the country and the world? If you aren’t political, then are you just trusting the other citizens and politicians to make our system of government work? I would say that if you leave it up to others, then no one is looking out for what matters most to you. Your and my government will only work well if it is participatory not if it is only run by politicians. Your opinion is needed and it matters most in times when things are not going as well. That would be now.

I am out there promoting peace and trying to dialogue with people. I have to, otherwise I fall into the useless mindset of blaming and complaining. I write and call my elected official also because most of the time they just do what is best for them not for the people. They need to know what you and I think and what we want. Without that information they tend to go along with who is in power and not provide the necessary checks and balances they were elected to do. Now more then ever, those checks and balances are needed between the branches of government.

Without them we get leaders who think they are above the law and act as if they can do whatever they want without consequence. Doesn’t that sound awfully familiar? If you are paying attention then you know what I am talking about. If not, please do so. You are needed now or our system will be in danger of loosing sight of our unique constitution based on freedom and what is good for the people.

A healthy way of life is what you and I want. I participate not because I am extraordinary but because I feel it is necessary. To me freedom is something I highly value. This present government is loosing sight of what freedom is and instead seems more based on the control and regulation of individual expression. Since 9/11 much of this control has been sold to us as a way to protect us from terrorist. That rationalization needs to be questions every step of the way. This executive branch has banned opposition at many levels. If that doesn’t concern you than it is time to nose around and see what our government and our corporations are up to???

As always I have many questions. Please join me in questioning all that is going on and together we can spice up the brew again and bring the sweet smell of a vibrant, successful democracy back into our lives.

If you want to read more about what my peace company is up too, check us out at www.peace-together.com and sign up for our monthly newsletter at jbernard@peace-together.com.

Peace is possible with your participation.

STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

. . . In standing absolutely still in the midst of our conflicted, conceptual world, we may discover the explosion of unity, of love, that is the bare actuality of life.

Here is the challenge. Stop. Look. Listen.
Nothing is in the way.
Spontaneously, life is bursting forth. Steven Harrison

I came upon this short reading and I said YES? What a great reminder that there is so much more going on then you and I may notice. Do you ever get so caught up in your life that you miss what is going on? I suspect you do. There is that going and going thing that I find myself caught up in. Can you identify with that?

This quick paced, spinning merry-go-round that you and I are on, needs to come to a stop once in a while. Step off and feel how dizzy you are until you settle into a more relaxed and quiet place. Stop. Look. Listen.

Stopping is about stepping away from the habits, the grooves and the trances of going and doing. There is an epidemic of doing that leaves no space for rest and being. This kind of life may seem full of accomplishment but most likely you the individual feels lost in it. You have a life but it missing who you are, other then your doing. Does that ring a bell? This weekend, take some time to stop doing, sit and sip a cold drink and just be in the moment, and enjoy.

Then when you have slowed down enough to be present, start to look around. What you will see could be quite amazing. As it says above, life is bursting our all over the place. This life is you being. Life is your family alive with all of their uniqueness and energy. Life is the world of ideas and desires waiting to come into bloom. Life is purpose, passion, peace and possibilities.  As you look, pay attention to: what is calling you; what driving forces are in play around you; what underlying unity holds it all together; and what about the power of love’s influence over all that is alive?

Now it is time to listen. Listen inward to the urges, insights and intuitions for they want to guide your being to a higher realization. Listen to the emotions that reveal what is stirred inside. Listen to the needs of those you love from a place of understanding and compassion. Listen the struggle of those less fortunate and reach out from your heart. Listen to the calls of the nation and the planet and join with others to shape things from the place of unity and love. Then, be quiet, and hear the stillness and silence of spirit and experience true oneness.

There now, doesn’t that feel better? Now you are home. Now you ready to be in the world with the spontaneity of true love, consciousness, peace and freedom. Feel the joy of that and let you light shine brightly out into the world. Thank you.

Try an Attitude of Gratitude Today

I woke up this morning thinking about what I am grateful for and there was so much that came to mind. I want to encourage you today to have and attitude of gratitude because it will change your experience of living in many positive ways. First however, I would love to share with you some of the things I am grateful for in my life. I suspect you will identify with many of my thankyou’s.

Today I am grateful this healthy body I have to travel through my day, for each breath and the wonder of living. I am grateful for my heart and each beat and all I feel inside. My heart is filled with love and gratitude for my brothers and sisters, for my friends and for my wife Bobbi. Thank you for the inspiration I receive for my writing and the other things I do today. Thank you for my inner drive to keep fit and take good care of myself. Thank you for my money flow that is ever-expanding. I feel deep gratitude for my home and the beautiful place I live with the mountains, nature trails, streams and wildflowers. Thank you for the teachers I have had that have expanded my consciousness and taught me to see the deeper truths. Thank you for my walks along the beach, which I still remember as if they were yesterday. Thanks too for my walking meditations that slow me down and help me experience life more fully while opening me toward further self-realization. Thank you for all those that do what they do for the good of human kind and for the richness of compassion in the world. Thanks for the stars that fill my night and the sun the lights and warms my day. Thank you for my desires that call me toward higher self-expression. Every cell of my being is vibrating with gratitude for the richness of my life so filled with all that I need and abundant in love, peace, freedom, awareness and joy. Thank you for the beautiful person you are and for the light that shines so brightly from you heart and spirit. Thank you, the Source of all, for all there is.

I have always been drawn to teachers that share the highest human truths. I so much enjoy reading and learning from people that inspire the best in me. All these teachers write and speak of the power of gratitude to enrich evryone’s lives. Two teachers come immediately to mind when I think of gratitude and creating the life you want. In Deepak Chopra’s books he writes that success and prosperity comes to those who have opened their hearts to gratitude. Wallace Wattles in the Science Of Getting Rich writes very clearly that gratitude is the best way to contact the Source of all creation. He says that if your gratitude is strong and constant then the response from Source will be strong and constant. There are many teachings out there to explore if you want to read and study more about the power of gratitude in your life.

The obvious truth here is that the more you feel gratitude the better you feel about life. Sure there are things in your day that could use some improvement to work better for you. Those too will get better with gratitude in mind. It is simply a much better use of you mind and energy to focus on what you have and are grateful for then to focus on what is not ok. An attitude of gratitude will make you feel better and set you free to create the life you want.

Be grateful and prosper.

The Truth Shall Set You Free

I saw this statement this morning, “Truth is all that matters” and it become the topic for today’s writing. How do we know what the truth is these days? There is so much misinformation spread about, that finding the truth takes some work. Maybe that is why many people choose to believe what they believe because they are unwilling or don’t have the time to really find out their own truths? There is certainly a lot of information out there and many people wanting to tell you what to believe and think.

I am unsure why this misinformation spreading is so prevalent these days? I suspect it has always gone on. I guess those that send out these mistruths think it is ok to do so? It seems the truth doesn’t matter to them, instead their agenda matters more. There must be some idea that manipulating the people is ok and something they figure they can pull off. From the White House and government to Corporations, Media and so-called think tanks and other organizations there comes a flood of information they want us to believe that simply isn’t true.

I read the other day the Exxon/Mobil spends millions of dollars each year financing these pseudo-science think tanks that say there is no global warming and there is nothing to be concerned about. Enron used their manipulation of the truth to steal billions of dollars. There is opinion news like Fox that isn’t really news based on the truth but more on a point of view. The White House fed us much misinformation while leading us into this insane War in Iraq. So truth doesn’t really matter to those driven by power, control, greed or whatever rationalizes the misinformation?

What about your own personal truths and how do you find out what they are? You and I were raised in families that had their own beliefs and truths. Being an adult means exploring your own truths some of which may be in contradiction to how you were raised. This exploration of your truths is an ongoing process.

I recently saw an old belief I had was simply not the truth, so I changed it. You will come upon things you thought were right but now you see them differently and the truth changes. Changing what you believe can happen quickly when you find your truth. A simple, kind of fun, example of truth changing is chocolate. Most health experts tell us to avoid too much sugar/candy. Now there is research that says dark chocolate has some health benefits. So I am testing that out and enjoying doing so. My chocolate research is not a great example of real truth seeking but it works to show how easily an idea I thought was a truth can be examined and changed.

The bigger truth questions take work and a closer examination. I want to share several ideas to help you sort out your own truths.
• Ask lots of questions, look under the surface, and between the lines.
• Examine closely all beliefs and make sure they are truly what you believe.
• Pay attention to your gut and heart. They will tell you what is right and what is not. Contraction of the stomach or heart indicated something is off.
• Listen to your intuition, higher self, inner knowing or whatever you call it. There is always inner guidance available to you.
• Seek out information from a variety of sources you trust and people who you value their perspective.

I hope you found this helpful and that it provokes questions in you? Seeking the truth is a very important part of our journey through life.

5 Strategies For Inner Peace

Yesterday I wrote about values and how important it is to get clear about what you value and live accordingly. If you want to have inner peace you need to know your values and live by them. I want to write about inner peace today and how to have more. As I often write, this world you and I live in is so full of stuff going on that finding inner peace can be a real challenge. Today’s lives are too full of hurry and worry and you and I need to find ways to offset those tendencies. The goal is to find inner harmony so that no matter what is going on you can be at peace inside.

I am going to give you some strategies to experiment with. The key word is experiment. The ideas I share are to be explored in ways that work for you. My ideas are of little value unless they become your ideas too. The more you experiment and pay attention to how they work, the better you integrate them into your life. The goal is that at some time the practice becomes part of what you do.

The first strategy is to live by your values. If you haven’t done the value exercise from yesterday’s blog, do so today. You need to know what values are most important so you can set your priorities on what matters. If you highest value is love and you find that you are too protected, then you need to find ways to open your heart. If you value honesty but are living a dishonest life than there is a problem. Your values need to be honored and lived by or you will not feel at ease. This lack of integrity will always disrupt your inner peace. Take the values that are yours today and live by them as fully as possible. Know that it may take some to be in full alignment with them but the goal is to live each day with your values in mind. Value driven decisions that guide your life can bring inner peace.

The second strategy to explore is taking time to find the quiet place inside, your inner stillness. This stillness is your anchor to you inner knowing and a great link to your values. In taking time to be quiet you get to know the inner workings of your mind and heart. This knowing is called awareness and it is essential to living in alignment with what is important to you. Take time, each day, to be in you quiet place inside. The more you go there the more peace you will find.

The third strategy is to listen to your body as a way to keep in balance. The body is your feedback system that tells you when you are in balance or out. If you have lots of energy and feel loose and relaxed then the body is telling you things are going well. If you find you have a tight stomach, headaches or tension then something has gone out of balance. The body doesn’t lie like the mind can. The body tells you what is going on inside. Notice what makes the body feel good and what doesn’t. What you eat, if you exercise, how you hold tension can all affect the body. Let the body guide you to inner peace and balance.

The fourth strategy is to make an effort to slow down. Now in this hurry and worry world to slow down will take some focus. Yes you and I have learned to want things now and expect to get them. Impatience has become an unhealthy driving force. It is time to step away from the go, go, go and take a more scenic and leisurely route through life. This being on the go all the time needs to be transitioned into slowing the pace and enjoy the moment. Inner peace is possible when you slow down and enjoy the wonder and beauty of life.

The fifth strategy is notice when you are in fear and instead find love. This strategy will empower your life in very positive ways. Fear and love are opposites. For some reason fear is emphasized in the media as the way to get people’s attention. Fear is the great controller of the masses. You do not have to live in fear. Turn off the news and instead focus on love. Spread love to those you care about, to your community and if you feel so inclined to everyone you meet. Love always wins out over fear. When you are afraid find something to love and the fear will go away. Love can heal all problems and guide you to inner peace.

Take some time to explore these ideas and please let me know how it goes. Your inner peace can help spread peace to the world.

What Are Your Top 10 Values?

What do you want and what is important to you? The world you and I live in is full of complications and challenges. You need to know what you want in your life and what is important to you so you can focus on making them happen. There are so many distractions in this life that unless you have focus you are bound to wonder about going from one thing to another. If you just want to explore than that could be interesting and fun. However if you have some results in mind than you must set you intentions and have a course of direction.

Another part of the question is what is important to you? What matters most to you? What do you value more than anything else? Below is a list of values to explore. Your challenge here is to choose your Top 10 from this list or from others values not listed. Once you have your ten most important values then you are to put those 10 in order of importance. When you are done you will have the most important of all your values as number 1 and second most as number 2 and on down to 10.

Creativity           Learning              Kindness
Fame                 Mastery                Adventure
Parenting           Loving                  Beauty
Spirituality         Contribution         Religion
Having fun         Freedom               Discovery
Health               Looking good        Approval
Challenges         Supportive            Emotional health
Purposeful          Seeking                Self-Realizing
Teach                 Lead                    Be extraordinary
Organizer            Observe               Provide
Wealth                Success                Gamble
Explore               Justice                 Make a difference
Minister               Design                 Spread light
Build                   Fitness                 Mind development
Grace                  Gratitude             Genuine
Authentic             Serve                   Compassion
Consciousness       Work                    Relaxation
Protest                 Fairness               Understanding
Listening              Devotion              Healing
Touch                   Influence             Participate
Govern                 Play                     Write
Express                Travel                  Pleasure
Avoid pain            Nurture                Inspire
Unite                    Win                     Bring together
Compete               Environment        Diversity
Acceptance            Dominate            Corporate accountability
Greatness              Recognition         Excellence
Accomplish            Do good               Improvement
Money                   Empathy              Enlighten
Partnering             Relationships       Educate
Passionate             Mission                Intention
Model                    Uplift                  Goal setting
Intimacy                Holiness               Meditation
Flexible                 Energized            Radiant
Peace                    Community          Friendship
Coach                    Stimulate            Sex
Grow                     Taste                  Humor
Laughter                Acquire               Art
Assist                     Sports                 Take charge
Represent               Explain               Follow
Beliefs                    Truth                 Honesty
Caring                    Impartial            Awake
Potential                Honor                 Strength
Power                    Humility             Gratitude

Don’t forget to add any not included here. Once you have your Top 10 then put these values somewhere were you can review them daily. Your values are your guiding principles. If you follow and live by your values then you will feel positive about your life. If you tend to ignore them than you will feel less ok about what you are doing. Your number 1 value is the most important one to live by if you want to feel good about your life.

Make sure the values you list in your Top 10 are your values and not ones you learned and have yet questioned. Your values will change over time. Today your Top 10 values are your guide.

Please feel free to leave a comment below especially if you have a value or two you want to add to this list.

Be Informed, Then Place Your Attention On Positive Change

Last night I went to an event set up by www.moveon.org in Boulder at a beautiful home overlooking the whole city and surrounding area. The event was tied to the Live Earth Concert and it was about taking care of the planet you and I call home. There were 120-150 people who showed up with food and conversation to share. There was also a video from Al Gore, an earth pledge at www.avaaz.org (please read it and sign it if you can) and a number of political candidates sharing what they would do for the planet if they were elected for president. I guess only one political party was interested in caring for the planet?

I found it so encouraging that so many of my fellow citizens showed up. One couple, Bobbi and I talked with, said they tend to avoid anything political but felt they couldn’t avoid it anymore. They usual ways of dealing with the problems were not working so they were seeking other options. It seems to me the usual way of things working out have taken a rough ride the last 7 years or so. Our system seems badly in need of repair. Leadership seems to have lost contact with the will and wants of the people. There is much to be concerned with.

I find myself wanting to keep informed, to ask lots of questions and to search for the truth even though much of it can be discouraging. I want to know as best as I can what is going on beyond the fear, misinformation and rhetoric we are being fed. When I go search around the internet and other sources for a variety of viewpoints, I can learn lots. This keeps me informed but what I find out can also make me upset and worried. So I find myself having to watch my emotional state to make sure I keep balanced. I see many things I could get mad about and know that to loose my own inner peace would not be helpful. If I am going to work for peace, justice and the healing of the planet then I must also make sure I am at peace inside; treating myself and those around me fairly; and helping the healing inside of me and those I love. That seems essential to me.

I decided that best thing I can do is something I think you might find of value. You and I need must not permit our mind and emotions to focus on what is wrong. We can explore and see what needs to change but we can’t spend too much time dwelling on dissatisfaction. When we do focus on the dissatisfaction, we become very dissatisfied with all of life and that is not a good place to hang out emotionally or mentally.

My plan is to see what is wrong and then focus my attention on the best of what can be. When I place my attention on the best possibilities then I become my best and I surround myself with the best. When I see the potential for good in others and situations, I get to live in that potential for good.

The choice to me is clear. You and I need to be informed and then we must also see the positive potential and focus on that. Together we can use our minds to know what is going on and then to bring positive purpose to making real difference in the world. Would you please join me in this?

7/7/07 Are You Feeling Lucky Today

Today is supposed to be a very lucky day. It is 7/7/07. Do you believe in luck? Do you ever think about things and then they come true? Maybe you and I make our own luck by own thoughts and feelings. I say maybe here because there is much theory about our thinking creates our world. It has been my experience that there are mixed results on what I think and what shows up in my life. When the results are less then what I want I tend to turn to myself and ask what am I doing or not doing that is getting in the way of what I want?

This self-exploration has been helpful for my awareness and growth and sometimes helpful in manifesting more effectively. I often turn to the expertise of others to learn more. Lately I have been reading an old classic called The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles which was first published in 1910. I picked up this book at the local bookstore because I had heard about it from a number of different sources. Usually when I hear about something a number of times I feel the universe is trying to tell me something and I try to follow its guidance. I have written about intuition quite a bit lately and must admit the more I think about intuition and listen to it the more I am guided. Which is a good thing.

I want to share with you a gem or two from this book today and over the next several months. I believe there is real value in some of the lessons here so I thought you might appreciate the information.

Wallace Wattles believes that in order for you and I to realize our highest expression in talent and soul development, we must have all the money we need. He sees money as essential to being the fullest possibilities in us. With money we can do what we need to do in life. This point of view places money as a key ingredient for a successful life. Makes sense doesn’t it?

This positive view of money and how it is essential to self-realization is different then some of the ideas you and I were brought up with. Many traditional religious points of view place money as more of an obstacle to overcome. Wattles says money is an important part of what we need to be the person we are capable of being. At some level that kind of seems obvious to me. How about for you?

So money is a good thing and having what you need to fully express yourself is a good thing too. Stay tuned and I will explore more of these ideas with you.