Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, live, love, LEARN and leave a legacy of excellence.
LEARNING: How amazing is it that, as human beings, our capacity for lifelong learning is as great as it is? There are fewer more fulfilling things in life than broadening our horizons through acquiring greater knowledge or learning a new skill such as a musical instrument, a new sport or dance.
The dividends of this learning are that we personally can grow throughout our lives having more to enjoy for ourselves and greater values to bring to others.
We can choose to focus more narrowly on a given topic, going deeply or be more of a "renaissance person", embracing a wide range of subjects.
The important thing is that we never stop learning and become stale. It allows us to maintain our view of the world with the wonder of a child while acquiring some of the wisdom of maturity.
As Seneca stated, "as long as you live, never stop learning how to live".
May 29, 2012
May 28, 2012
LOVE IS NOT UNCONDITIONAL
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, live, LOVE learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
The journey to Being the Hero or YOUR Life is amazing in and of itself, and does not REQUIRE company, but if you can find a worthy companion who you love because of shared values and who is on their own journey, then your happiness which is the ultimate goal of your life will be magnified many times more. This principle extends beyond just a romantic relationship and should be the criteria for how you choose friends as well Even family members are not automatically granted love as a duty of any type. (the idea of love as a duty is a contradiction in terms)
Unconditional love is touted as an ideal but in fact, it belittles the word love and implies that one would love a child molester as they love the person who exemplifies their highest values. The latter is the one who has earned love and often the supposed ideal of unconditional love comes from the desire to have something without earning it. This is wrong in the financial sense and no less so in the moral sense.
True, when one does not know another person's values they could assume positively until presented with evidence to the contrary.
Also, I'm not talking about being a fair weather friend. I love my wife because first and foremost, I admire her. If she was in failing health, or a mishap caused her to lose some of her talents or possessions that would not change who she is as a person, nor should it change how I feel for her or what I am willing to do because my happiness is linked to her happiness and welfare. I also respect her because I know that if my behaviour showed that I had changed my basic values, she would not stay with me, nor would I expect her to "love me unconditionally" in those circumstances. I need to work to deserve the person whose qualities I cherish and who has chosen to share their life with me and never forget how high a value that represents.
Thanks for reading.
The journey to Being the Hero or YOUR Life is amazing in and of itself, and does not REQUIRE company, but if you can find a worthy companion who you love because of shared values and who is on their own journey, then your happiness which is the ultimate goal of your life will be magnified many times more. This principle extends beyond just a romantic relationship and should be the criteria for how you choose friends as well Even family members are not automatically granted love as a duty of any type. (the idea of love as a duty is a contradiction in terms)
Unconditional love is touted as an ideal but in fact, it belittles the word love and implies that one would love a child molester as they love the person who exemplifies their highest values. The latter is the one who has earned love and often the supposed ideal of unconditional love comes from the desire to have something without earning it. This is wrong in the financial sense and no less so in the moral sense.
True, when one does not know another person's values they could assume positively until presented with evidence to the contrary.
Also, I'm not talking about being a fair weather friend. I love my wife because first and foremost, I admire her. If she was in failing health, or a mishap caused her to lose some of her talents or possessions that would not change who she is as a person, nor should it change how I feel for her or what I am willing to do because my happiness is linked to her happiness and welfare. I also respect her because I know that if my behaviour showed that I had changed my basic values, she would not stay with me, nor would I expect her to "love me unconditionally" in those circumstances. I need to work to deserve the person whose qualities I cherish and who has chosen to share their life with me and never forget how high a value that represents.
Thanks for reading.
May 27, 2012
LOVE: What It Isn't.
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, live, LOVE learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
LOVE: Maslow put love/belonging high on his hierarchy of needs and there is no doubt that we are social creatures. I believe it must be remembered that in a hierarchy, things have to be in a proper order, and Ayn Rand said it well when she stated, "Before one can say 'I love you', one has to learn to say 'I'".
You have to esteem yourself before you can esteem another, otherwise you are looking for the other person to do this for you, and that is the definition of an unhealthy relationship. Finding Mr. Or Ms. Right will not make you whole; that is your job! People who are into these types of relationships use their partner like a drug, and while they get the desired effect at the beginninng, like a drug it doesn't last, and then they build resentments that often lead to abusing the other person for "letting them down".
Don't make another person your journey, embark on your own journey to Being the Hero of YOUR Life, and you will become attractive to other Heroes!
LOVE: Maslow put love/belonging high on his hierarchy of needs and there is no doubt that we are social creatures. I believe it must be remembered that in a hierarchy, things have to be in a proper order, and Ayn Rand said it well when she stated, "Before one can say 'I love you', one has to learn to say 'I'".
You have to esteem yourself before you can esteem another, otherwise you are looking for the other person to do this for you, and that is the definition of an unhealthy relationship. Finding Mr. Or Ms. Right will not make you whole; that is your job! People who are into these types of relationships use their partner like a drug, and while they get the desired effect at the beginninng, like a drug it doesn't last, and then they build resentments that often lead to abusing the other person for "letting them down".
Don't make another person your journey, embark on your own journey to Being the Hero of YOUR Life, and you will become attractive to other Heroes!
May 24, 2012
LIVE: PART V: Nutrition
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
LIVE: Nutrition: We live in a wonderful time and place. For most of human history, and still in many places today, people worry about having enough to eat, and we spend our time, more than ever agonizing about what to eat, what not to eat, and not eating too much!
We evolved in such a way as to survive the famines that were common place on a seasonal basis and those of us whose ancestors were predisposed to survive are here today, and most of those who weren't are not here to read this blog.
One of the main challenges is that today from a nutrition standpoint, we have evolved to survive famines when in fact, our problem of overabundance is the very opposite.
I'm a big fan of modern technology, and a good argument can be made for why it has helped us to feed the world's growing population but it has also come with some consequences that are not always favorable. Having food to eat, so you don't starve and die is good, but that diet may be far from optimal.
It is certainly beyond the scope of this entry to go into great detail, so I will simply advise you to google "archevore" diet, where you will find not only some excellent recommendations but some links that show the research to back it up.
For now let me state that I believe conventional wisdom is not only wrong (Canada food guide or American equivalent) but diametrically so.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
Mark Twain
If you want it really simple, here are a few quick things that are by no means complete, but with which you would likely get 80 or 90% of benefits:
Carbohydrates: Avoid sugar, flour, fruit juices. Focus on fresh or frozen vegetables and fruit. (smaller fruit are better than larger i.e. berries)
Protein: Eat meat! Preferably beef and lamb and eggs.... grass fed if possible, in the case of eggs, if you can find some that are not fed soy. Do not eat soy, go easy on nuts.
Fats: Love coconut oil, and fat from grass fed beef and lamb, and wild fish. Avoid seed oils.
Dairy: Avoid unless you can get unpasteurized or aged cheese... go easy if you are trying to lose weight.
Thanks for reading!
LIVE: Nutrition: We live in a wonderful time and place. For most of human history, and still in many places today, people worry about having enough to eat, and we spend our time, more than ever agonizing about what to eat, what not to eat, and not eating too much!
We evolved in such a way as to survive the famines that were common place on a seasonal basis and those of us whose ancestors were predisposed to survive are here today, and most of those who weren't are not here to read this blog.
One of the main challenges is that today from a nutrition standpoint, we have evolved to survive famines when in fact, our problem of overabundance is the very opposite.
I'm a big fan of modern technology, and a good argument can be made for why it has helped us to feed the world's growing population but it has also come with some consequences that are not always favorable. Having food to eat, so you don't starve and die is good, but that diet may be far from optimal.
It is certainly beyond the scope of this entry to go into great detail, so I will simply advise you to google "archevore" diet, where you will find not only some excellent recommendations but some links that show the research to back it up.
For now let me state that I believe conventional wisdom is not only wrong (Canada food guide or American equivalent) but diametrically so.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
Mark Twain
If you want it really simple, here are a few quick things that are by no means complete, but with which you would likely get 80 or 90% of benefits:
Carbohydrates: Avoid sugar, flour, fruit juices. Focus on fresh or frozen vegetables and fruit. (smaller fruit are better than larger i.e. berries)
Protein: Eat meat! Preferably beef and lamb and eggs.... grass fed if possible, in the case of eggs, if you can find some that are not fed soy. Do not eat soy, go easy on nuts.
Fats: Love coconut oil, and fat from grass fed beef and lamb, and wild fish. Avoid seed oils.
Dairy: Avoid unless you can get unpasteurized or aged cheese... go easy if you are trying to lose weight.
Thanks for reading!
May 23, 2012
LIVE: PART IV: Exercise, good or bad?
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
Note: links are not live, so you have to copy and paste into your browser.
EXERCISE: To summarize this in a short blog entry does present a challenge, but I will do my best, and for more info, I will direct you to earlier entries as well as recommended links from this blog. First a definition: thanks to Ken Hutchins: http://www.renaissanceexercise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-First-Definition-of-Exercise1.pdf
You may or may not agree with this definiton of exercise (many will NOT), but as a point of reference, this is what I am referencing when I use the word. Secondly, let me state that the goal in a particular workout should be to "fatigue the muscles as deeply as possible, as quickly as possible, within the constraints of safety". This is the "stimulus" that the body needs to improve, and then we have to allow it to adapt through rest and nutrition.
Exercise is simply a form of stress on the body which, if the body is able to adapt to, improves us, and if it does not adapt due to too much stress or not enough recovery, hurts us. (remember Hormesis post).
Almost all of what is currently referred to as exercise, is either ineffective and a complete waste of time, or does have some beneficial effect, but virtually guarantees, long term or acute injuries or both. (hint: one of the most common mistakes is doing simply too much)
The good news is that only a few minutes of very safe, but very intense exercise is all that we require weekly, and that the benefits of this, are so far reaching as to be the closest thing known to an actual fountain of youth. (assuming that you are properly rested, and nourished i.e see past blog on sleep and future entry on nutrition) For more google bodybyscience.net and check out articles, forum and videos. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Also very worthwhile: http://efficientexercise.com/downloads/exercise_vs_recreation.pdf
Note: links are not live, so you have to copy and paste into your browser.
EXERCISE: To summarize this in a short blog entry does present a challenge, but I will do my best, and for more info, I will direct you to earlier entries as well as recommended links from this blog. First a definition: thanks to Ken Hutchins: http://www.renaissanceexercise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-First-Definition-of-Exercise1.pdf
You may or may not agree with this definiton of exercise (many will NOT), but as a point of reference, this is what I am referencing when I use the word. Secondly, let me state that the goal in a particular workout should be to "fatigue the muscles as deeply as possible, as quickly as possible, within the constraints of safety". This is the "stimulus" that the body needs to improve, and then we have to allow it to adapt through rest and nutrition.
Exercise is simply a form of stress on the body which, if the body is able to adapt to, improves us, and if it does not adapt due to too much stress or not enough recovery, hurts us. (remember Hormesis post).
Almost all of what is currently referred to as exercise, is either ineffective and a complete waste of time, or does have some beneficial effect, but virtually guarantees, long term or acute injuries or both. (hint: one of the most common mistakes is doing simply too much)
The good news is that only a few minutes of very safe, but very intense exercise is all that we require weekly, and that the benefits of this, are so far reaching as to be the closest thing known to an actual fountain of youth. (assuming that you are properly rested, and nourished i.e see past blog on sleep and future entry on nutrition) For more google bodybyscience.net and check out articles, forum and videos. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Also very worthwhile: http://efficientexercise.com/downloads/exercise_vs_recreation.pdf
May 21, 2012
LIVE: Part IIIa: Financial Planning Sailboat
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun , so that I may have the energy I need to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
LIVE: Financial Sailboat: I've decided to digress for this entry from the "physical" to the "financial" side of "LIVE". Health is obviously foundational, but financial security is actually a close second. In fact, without your financial house in order, you won't have time to exercise, money to buy food or take care of health care costs, and your sleep probably won't be very sound, as you toss and turn worrying about making ends meet. Today, I give credit to Brian Burlacoff*, BA, M.Acc., MBA, CFP, CLU, RHU for putting together a simple concept that helps us all to understand the sometimes daunting topic of financial planning. It has been said, that the three threats to our financial security are living too long, dying too soon or becoming ill or having an accident along the way. Living too long means running out of money before we die. Dying too soon, means leaving others who are dependent on us with a loss of income, and unpaid debt, and becoming ill or having an accident can cut off our income as well as bring on significant expense. Brian's concept on how to address these is the Financial Planning Sailboat. A good sailboat has a strong hull, good sails, a rudder as well as safety equipment such as life preservers. The hull represents the emergency fund that we all need: 3-6 months income available in a liquid form for unexpected short term emergencies, such as unemployment, or the transmission on the car needing replacement unexpectedly. The rudder sets the direction and this represents having a proper plan in place that is reviewed regularly (checking the compass or GPS). The sails represent your investments, properly chosen with the help of a competent advisor to suit your goals, and risk profile and they take the sailboat where it needs to go. The safety equipment, proper radio, life preservers and first aid kit, represent the insurance that one needs in case of mishaps. This includes life, disability, critical illness, long term care, home, auto and liability; the one thing you would never leave shore without, especially when your family is on the boat with you. Thanks again for reading!
LIVE: Financial Sailboat: I've decided to digress for this entry from the "physical" to the "financial" side of "LIVE". Health is obviously foundational, but financial security is actually a close second. In fact, without your financial house in order, you won't have time to exercise, money to buy food or take care of health care costs, and your sleep probably won't be very sound, as you toss and turn worrying about making ends meet. Today, I give credit to Brian Burlacoff*, BA, M.Acc., MBA, CFP, CLU, RHU for putting together a simple concept that helps us all to understand the sometimes daunting topic of financial planning. It has been said, that the three threats to our financial security are living too long, dying too soon or becoming ill or having an accident along the way. Living too long means running out of money before we die. Dying too soon, means leaving others who are dependent on us with a loss of income, and unpaid debt, and becoming ill or having an accident can cut off our income as well as bring on significant expense. Brian's concept on how to address these is the Financial Planning Sailboat. A good sailboat has a strong hull, good sails, a rudder as well as safety equipment such as life preservers. The hull represents the emergency fund that we all need: 3-6 months income available in a liquid form for unexpected short term emergencies, such as unemployment, or the transmission on the car needing replacement unexpectedly. The rudder sets the direction and this represents having a proper plan in place that is reviewed regularly (checking the compass or GPS). The sails represent your investments, properly chosen with the help of a competent advisor to suit your goals, and risk profile and they take the sailboat where it needs to go. The safety equipment, proper radio, life preservers and first aid kit, represent the insurance that one needs in case of mishaps. This includes life, disability, critical illness, long term care, home, auto and liability; the one thing you would never leave shore without, especially when your family is on the boat with you. Thanks again for reading!
May 18, 2012
LIVE PART III: Hormesis
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun , so that I may have the energy I need to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
HORMESIS: I originally wanted to break down the "Live" section into three entries, sleep, exercise and nutrition. However before moving on to exercise or nutrition from my last entry on sleep, I feel it is important to have an entry on HORMESIS. Traditional thought refers to certain substances or activities as either being "good for you", or "bad for you". Recent research seems to indicate that this is an oversimplification that leads to two very common mistakes: the first being that "if a little is good, then a lot must be better", and the second being, "if a lot is bad, then abstaining completely must be better." It turns out that our body reacts to exposure to various potentially harmful stresses by compensating or even overcompensating for them, thus making us more able to deal with future exposure to these stresses. (think calluses, suntans, bigger muscles and livers able to "hold liquor" as but a few examples). Exposure to viruses helps us build antibodies for future exposure and lack of exposure leaves us vulnerable. That doesn't mean that viruses are "good for us", per se. Keeping this in mind, some exercise may be good, none may be bad, and too much may be worse. Some red wine may be good, too much will destroy your liver. Even mild smoking may help you deal with air pollutants better than someone with no exposure. (sacrilege!). So, Nietsche's quote, of "whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger", IMO is wrong, it may just kill you slower. So moving forward to nutrition and exercise, I will be taking HORMESIS into consideration, looking for a "therapeutic window" where too little is ineffective or deficient, too much is toxic and finding just the right amount is the goal. To further complicate things, the therapeutic window is more than likely a moving target, from individual to individual and even within the same individual at different time or age, or even with differing variables. Thanks for reading.
May 17, 2012
LIVE PART II: Sleep
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun , so that I have the energy to enthusiastically, LIVE, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
LIVE: SLEEP: Maintaining health and functional ability (I don't like the term "fitness") is a matter of rest, exercise and proper nutrition, and it is difficult to say that any ONE of these is THE most important because they are truly part of a whole. However, if you were to push me into a corner and tell me I had to pick one, it would be sleep. That doesn't mean that you can sleep your way to good health to the exclusion of the other two, but without sleep, the other three may not matter much, and in the case of exercise, may actually be detrimental as you are burning the proverbial candle at both ends. Since the invention of the electric light, our natural circadian rhythms have been forever disrupted, and we no longer go to sleep at sundown or shortly after, and then get up at dawn. We are a sleep deprived society and we pay a heavy price for this. Also, we have bought into a work ethic that actually looks down at people who rest "too much" as lazy. The fact is that proper sleep (at the proper time) should be as important on your priority list as any of your other "to do's", in fact probably more than most. Have a negative attitude? Get some sleep! Feeling overwhelmed or depressed, maybe even on anti-depressant medication? Get your sleep pattern in order! (anti-depressants generally try to regulate the neurotransmitters that are out of balance that would naturally be regulated during proper sleep). Having trouble losing weight even though you are dieting and exercising? You guessed it: sleep. Not getting the results from your exercise program you feel you should be getting? Ditto. Without proper sleep almost every thing else you do to improve your health and functional ability may amount to straightening deck chairs on the titanic. Sleep deprivation is also linked to heart disease and cancer. I highly recommend the book: "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival"..... Thanks for reading.... and sweet dreams!
May 16, 2012
Live
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically LIVE, Love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
Live: Providing for the physical needs that allow us to live a healthy life must be foundational because, without health, any other area of our lives in which we achieve success becomes a moot point. The good news is that, contrary to popular belief, this does not involve spending countless hours exercising (more than needed is actually detrimental), or ingesting bottles of supplements (think food that doesn't have a list of ingredients). The bad news is that some aspects of our health, our genes, are only partially within our control. We can unfortunately be predisposed to cancer or heart disease, for example, but that doesn't make it inevitable, as recent research shows that even though we can't control the genes we are born with, we may be able to control whether they are "switched on or not". Sleep, diet and exercise are part of the equation, and in the next few entries I will cover these one at a time. Hint: sleep is actually the most important by far. For now:
copy and paste this link:
http://www.archevore.com/get-started/
May 15, 2012
LIVE, LOVE, LEARN AND LEAVE A LEGACY
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically LIVE, LOVE, LEARN AND LEAVE A LEGACY of excellence!
LIVE, LOVE, LEARN AND LEAVE A LEGACY: I stole this from the sub title of Stephen Covey's book "FIRST THINGS FIRST", which had a profound impact on me. I even became certified as a facilitator of what was then known as the "First Things First, Time/Life Management seminar".
In future blog entries, I will take each word one at a time, to discuss what it means to me. For now let me just point out that together, they represent, in my opinion, not only a hierarchy of human needs, but an entirety of human development.
Live: (physical) Health, Safety, Financial Security, Nutrition, Exercise. (the foundation without which not much else matters.)
Love: (emotional) Friends, Family, Support Systems: People with whom you choose to share your journey with. (they are not the journey, or the purpose, but sharing it with them makes it even more enriching)
Learn: (mental) Self-development and self-actualisation, knowledge, skills acquisition and skills perfecting. (lifelong personal growth)
Leave a Legacy: (spiritual) Being the Hero of YOUR life! "The greatest gift one human being can give another is the sight of an achievement!" (Ayn Rand, paraphrased from memory)
May 13, 2012
Having Fun!
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and HAVING FUN, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence!
HAVING FUN: When I speak of having fun, I am not referring to mindless indulgences into short term pleasure. (although short term pleasure does contribute to quality of life, but it should never be mindless) I am rather pointing out that striving for personal excellence should not be some ultra-serious, rigid quest in which we take ourselves so seriously that we never smile or laugh. I am pointing out that the spirit with which we should move through our journey is one that includes a love of life that combines both light heartedness, and passion; one in which, acknowledging life's challenges and inevitable tragedies causes us to cherish all the equally inevitable wonders of life.
Having fun with everything we do should mean relishing the upwards progression of our work and personal development (even when it seems like one step forward and two steps back), as well as truly enjoying the fruits of our labor, those tangible results that we have earned and that our self-esteem tells us we deserve. (see upcoming posts on EARNING and SELF-ESTEEM)
Red Skelton had a great line: "Never take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive!"
May 10, 2012
FOCUSING
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, FOCUSING and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence!
FOCUSING: Every morning, on the way to work, in my car, I repeat out loud, my personal mission, vision and goals for the year. The reason I do this, is to keep myself FOCUSED on the things that I have decided are most important in my life. Each day, there are forces pulling me in countless directions, and so, without a conscious effort to stay focused I will inevitably fall prey to these distractions. I am faced with hundreds of decisions daily, and this focus keeps them relatively simple to make because it provides an objective point of reference, a map if you will, to navigate these forks in the road. So, even the fun that I alluded to in an earlier blog entry, needs to be aligned with my overall mission, and so it is not a matter of losing or letting go of focus, but perhaps using a wider angle lens to keep the bigger picture in perspective.
May 9, 2012
EnTHUsiasm
EnTHUsiasm: Another of my favorite words. Apparently, the THU in enTHUsiam, comes from the greek "theo" meaning god, and enthusiasm translates into "God inside you".
Not being a religious person, myself, I like to think that we should look within, and not up in order to reach the best in ourselves. Regardless of your personal concept of the "best and highest", the idea of having that "in you" makes me realize why it's been said that nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.
With enthusiasm we don't just go through the motions, we move swiftly, with a sense of urgency and with joy so that even the most difficult task or challenge can become an adventure on our personal journey to excellence. That's why "Today I will ALIGN myself with CHERISHING REALITY, FOCUSING AND HAVING FUN, so that I may have the ENERGY that I need to ENTHUSIASTICALLY, live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
May 8, 2012
Focusing AND Having Fun
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality, FOCUSING AND HAVING FUN,so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
Focusing AND Having Fun: In order to accomplish a goal requires focus, keeping your eye on the ball, if you will. However sometimes people can become overly focused and seem one dimensional or overly serious. Some people think of an alternative as "just going with the flow".
The challenge here is thinking "or" instead of "and". To use a baseball analogy, you do want to keep your eye on the ball, but your goal is not to "kill the ball".... a good batter doesn't hold the bat too tightly. When you keep things in perspective, you realize that ultimately your goals are just a means to the ultimate end of having a happy life.
You should always have fun, or what's the point? Rather than fun being a distraction from your purpose, it becomes a critical part of the overall purpose.
Not only can you have "and" instead of "or", it is actually a prerequisite to truly "Being the Hero of YOUR Life"!
May 7, 2012
ENERGY
Today, I will align myself with cherishing reality so that I may have the ENERGY that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
ENERGY: Energy is vital to accomplishing anything. Motive power is what moves things forward, obviously. Energy is the result of the proper alignment of a circuit. With it, problems and hardships become simply opportunities to learn and to grow. When you have enough, you may feel almost unstoppable. If you feel low energy, check for misalignment. First places to check: your sleep patterns, and your diet; then your perspective on things. (usually if the first is in place, your perspective will follow.)
Many people talk about the benefits of having a "positive attitude" as though it were a simple decision to make. It is and it isn't. The decision becomes much easier to make if your sleep and diet is in place.... otherwise it's an uphill battle, reqiring more "will power" in the long run than the vast majority of people can muster. Of course, getting sleep and eating right is a decison you can make. Sleep is easy, diet needs a little more information to crowd out all the misinformation that is rampant..... check past blog entries for this.
May 4, 2012
REALITY
Today, I will align myself with cherishing REALITY so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
REALITY: is not what I wish it to be, it is what it is, no more no less. It is not fair or unfair. Existence exists independently of my wishes, perceptions or judgements. Any action I take, any word I speak, any thought I have that is not aligned with reality will at best, help me to learn from my mistake. Any of the above in accordance with reality will yield desired results. No part of reality is so negative that I can't make it worse by seeking to avoid it. Therefore I choose to cherish and embrace it.
Cherishing
Today, I will align myself with CHERISHNG reality so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
CHERISHING: I love this word! Sometimes we hear of working on "tolerating", "accepting" or "dealing" with things in our lives. To me, they all sound like you're just going along with something despite reluctance, disgust and hesitation. Instead, I've learned that it is best to decide to CHERISH events and circumstances which allows me to benefit from truly appreciating the "good things" and profiting from the opportunities to learn or become a better person through the "bad things". (which makes them all "good".). EMBRACING would be another great word!
May 3, 2012
Alignment.
Today, I will ALIGN myself with cherishing reality so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
ALIGN: energy cannot be conducted if there is a "short" in the circuit. Putting a screw in cross thread is possible but you have to work twice as hard and you are likely to break something. Cutting against the grain is working hard instead of working smart. These are all examples of misalignments with reality. Seek to work with things as they are, not as you wish they were and you will get much better results in all aspects of your life. "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.". A is A.
May 2, 2012
One day at a time.
TODAY, I will align myself with cherishing reality so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence.
TODAY: taking things one day at a time is essential, sometimes only an hour or a minute at a time, because commitments need to be made and re-made as we are continually faced with choices that affect our entire future. We plan long term, but we execute one tiny step at a time and it is the accumulation of thousands of tiny steps that help us become what we desire to become consciously and not just drift along aimlessly, a rut that is all too easy to fall into.
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