A new twist on an old saying
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
There are a couple of old sayings that I’d like to talk about today. “What you see is what you get”, and “Knowledge is power”. Both these sayings carry a good deal of truth, but I don’t think they say it all. We must add something to these sayings in order to obtain the greatest amount from them.

Here’s how I would re-write these old sayings; “What you see and do is what you will get”, and then of course, “Knowledge is not power – what you do with your knowledge is power”. We all know that we can sit around and do very little, if anything, and life will still happen around us and to us. We can see a beautiful person across the room, we can know that they are single, but unless we get out of our chair and do something to meet that person, the chances of having that person in our life are pretty slim.

Our life is defined by the infinite number of choices we make. Choice implies doing ‘this’ instead of ‘that’. We can choose to do nothing, but the act of doing nothing, is still an action. “When opportunity knocks, answer it”, is another old saying and very pertinent to this conversation. The Universe moves very quickly and sometimes very subtly through or past our lives. We have to be aware of those things that God is presenting to us, those things that we’ve manifested – and be prepared to act. Yes, of course you will always get a second, third or any number of chances – but that could take a while. It’s always best to grab onto life the first time it comes around.

Action is the most critical part to the “law of attrAction”

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

You can't tell a book by it's cover.
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
Are you questioning what you life’s purpose is? Do you wonder why some people seem to have a calling, but the only calls you get are on the phone? Do you have a hard time, ‘seeing the forest because of the trees’? Well, you certainly are not alone if you feel this way. Most don’t seem to get a calling until much later in life. So often we as young adults (barely out of High School) are asked to make life questions such as what college are you going to and what is your major? Few of these people really know what they want to do.

Well, here’s the truth according to Richard – you don’t have to fret over any of this because it’s all so very simple. We all have the same life purpose. Here it is; “live well – learn all you can so that you may be the best and most loving person you can be” And I don’t just mean be scholarly. I mean learn all you can about yourself. The road to being the best person you can be, to be whole and complete – this IS our purpose. Because we are all so individual – it only appears that we all have our own individual and different purpose, but that is an illusion.

When it comes to your calling – all you really have to do is be aware of yourself. Be aware of what you love. Your strongest love is your calling. All you have to do is figure out a way to manifest your calling in the world. Do you love animals? Veterinarian comes to mind right away. Do you love animals, but hate school, and have never been able to get through chemistry? Well, you could probably pass on the Veterinarian route, but there are a lot of animal shelters and groups that ache for loving volunteers. There are all kinds of different ways to manifest your calling, that special love, into your life.

So if you are having trouble with your purpose and calling, my bet it’s because you are looking outside yourself. The trick is to be quiet and look inside. All your answers are there.  You can't tell a book by its cover, even if that book is you!  READ IT

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

"If I could save time in a bottle..." (J. Croce)
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
Well, spring is almost here – although where I am, it feels like it is already here. The time has come and gone to change the clocks. Here in California, we lost an hour of sleep by ‘springing forward’.

But did you really loose that hour? For some of us it certainly did mess with out internal clocks, but for the most part we still had the same number of hours in our waking day. Unless you are one of those that work the night shift the time change barely impacts you.

But why do people get so wrapped up in the time changes – ‘spring ahead and fall back’. I believe it has to do with the concept of time, and how much it impacts (or rules) a person’s life. In the Native American tradition, they tell us to rise and go to bed with the sun. I believe that every other hour of the day is up for grabs. There are cultures in this world where time is irrelevant, and somehow they are able to find happiness still.

I’m not saying throw away your watches and clocks. No, keeping your appointments on time is a sign of respect and integrity. Setting realistic goals in a realistic timeframe is hugely important. Picking up the kids from school on time is a pretty good idea, but what if they are 15 minutes late – they were ‘talking with the teacher’- which when translated from adolescent usually means; “I was messin’ around”. OK, those are 15 minutes you’ll never get back, but are they so important that we allow ourselves to get flustered and frustrated even angry at times? “Patience is a virtue”.

There are only 3 times that we need to be fully aware of; past, present and future. The past is our history – never forget it and learn from it, else it repeats itself. The future is our dream – our vision for a better tomorrow. Look to it with confidence and knowing, but it is in the ether of our life, so do not spend too much time there. Then of course there is the Present, and what a beautiful word. Unwrap your present with joy every day and relish it as if there were no tomorrow, knowing that it is safe from the ravages of the past – today – right now is special, and it is the ONLY time you have.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

When is it my turn?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Thought of the Day
The world is abundance. It is therefore very interesting and sad that there is so much need, and so much that seems lacking. Everything you’ve ever wanted or needed exists today, right now. What’s keeping it from you? Could it be that you don’t believe you deserve it? Could it be you don’t believe it exists for you? Sure it exists for someone else, but not for me! So, I have to wonder why God has seen fit to bless 5% of our population with abundance, while the rest of us 95% must go without. It surely doesn’t sound like something my God would do.

So, is that what happened? God decided to desert 95% of us? No, of course not. God has created abundance for us all. We are living in the Garden of Eden, and all we have to do is ask, and it will be given to us. I know that sound very Christian, well that’s because Jesus said it. “But I’m not a Christian”, you say, “what about me?” Don’t worry, it’s a truth none of us can escape – Buddha said; “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” Or you can turn to the Bhagavad-Gita and Krishna, where it says; “Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.” This is a truth as strong as any thread run through a bunch of pearls to make a single necklace.

“But I’m living in the middle of a depression”, you yell, “if there is so much abundance, how can this be?” The answer still lay in the truth. We are where we are, because we ‘asked’ for it. It is what we believed in. As a collective conscious, we have made choices and asked for those things that have brought us to where we are today. You have merely been swept up into the current of the collective conscious. Neal Donald Walsh writes; “FATE is just an acronym meaning – from all thought everywhere”

So how do you change your feelings of want and lack? First be sure that you are lacking. Greed and gluttony can give the illusion of need and lacking when in truth there is none. Then be grateful for all that you have. After that, be grateful for all that you have yet do not hold in your hands. Then give what you have away to another. If you have nothing then give of your own service. To serve does not make you a servant. In your giving, then shall you receive. And lastly – stop pointing fingers at those you believe to be the 5%. The goal here is to part of the 100%

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

How big is your cocoon?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Thought of the Day
“Don’t tell me you’re a victim – show me you’re a survivor” (R. Hills) There are so many things in this life that can lead us down the road to being a victim. Not to mention it is such an easy road to travel, we almost do it automatically. I believe our ego, which is designed to protect us, nearly forces us into being a victim, but as with many issues regarding the ego, to follow it completely will not serve us very well.

Are you a victim of the economy? A victim of homelessness? A victim of poor health? A victim of old age? A victim of rape? A victim of violence? A victim of a cheating lover? When we are faced with sever diversity, it may be wise to be a victim for a short time, because it can give us time to recover (that is what the ego wants). Also, being a victim can motivate us to a place where we may grow and recover. But to be a victim for any long period of time makes us turn in ourselves to a place where we can serve no one, including ourselves. It can give us a false sense of security.

When we turn in on ourselves as a victim, we experience and live the worst possible emotions; fear, worry, hate. All of these things will close us off and cause more trouble in our lives. Remember the old saying; “what we resist, persists”. If we constantly resist and are thinking about avoiding being mugged for example, your chances of being mugged are greater. Now, this does NOT mean forget about precautions. Yes take precautions, but do not focus or give so much energy to fear.

Victims of circumstance must ultimately, step out of fear, worry and hate in order to be a survivor and become connected again. We are all connected, and it is love, caring and respect that will make that happen. Being a victim isolates us from the collective and causes harm to everyone concerned. Remember, we may not always have control over what happens to us, but God has blessed us with the ability to choose how we will respond to any situation; choose to be a survivor. Can this choice be difficult? You bet your sweet ass it can - one of the hardest choices we might have to ever make! But trust me - it gets easier very quickly. Love is always easier than Fear.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Takes a lickin' but keeps on tickin'
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Thought of the Day
There are no endings – only new beginnings. I heard this the other day, and it resonated with me. As we know, our scientists have proven that nothing ‘dies’, everything we know merely changes form. So, what we experience is less of an ending and more of only change. I recently watched the movie written by Mitch Albion – The five people you meet in Heaven, and was touched by what he wrote for the character Marguerite; “Lost love is still love, Eddie. It just takes a different form, that's all. You can't hold their hand... You can't tousle their hair... But when those senses weaken another one comes to life... Memory... Memory becomes your partner. You hold it... you dance with it... Life has to end, Eddie... Love doesn't.”

So, if we think like this – then we realize that we no longer have to cope with loss, we only need to be able to deal with change; it’s a matter of perspective. Some of us are better with dealing with change. Change can be difficult for some, but if you ask me it’s easier than complete loss (which we now know just doesn’t exist).

The best way to cope with change is simply to accept it. I know, sometimes easier said than done, but accepting change does not mean that we have to agree with it. We need to accept this is how things will be for now, and then we can go about creating more beginnings – instigating more change.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

What part of the chain are you?
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
You have heard the saying, “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link”. There is some truth to this saying, especially if you live your life with negative perspectives.

But I challenge you to really take a closer look at that saying. Yes, a chain is weakest at its weakest link, but why is that link weak? Are not all the links connected? The weakest link is weak because it has been made to endure all the stresses. This stress over time has caused its metal to denigrate into weakness. So weak it threatens the integrity of the chain.

I wonder why, even though all the links are connected, it was this one link that was made to endure all the stress? Could not this stress be spread out across the chain? If you are a link in this chain, connected to all the other links – do you not want your chain to be the strongest? Are you not then willing to take some stress from your fellow links to maintain the integrity of your chain?

Today – don’t look at the weakest link and pointing your finger say; “you will be our downfall”. No, say rather; “You and I are connected – let me take that from you – let me help you with that, together we WILL overcome”.

The chain is only as strong as its ability to share its joys and sorrows – together and connected.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

What are you hiding from?
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
There is a perspective that we create everything that is in our life. If we don’t create it then we allow another’s creation to come into our life. Many say this is our spiritual or divine nature – our oneness with God and the Universe. It is said that the God or Goddess inside us can create anything we want.

There is another perspective, a larger perspective, which says the above perspective is a bunch of hooey! This normally comes from those with a very strong religious perspective. Nevermind that the Buddha teaches us; “The mind is everything. What you think is what you become”. Nevermind that Jesus taught us; “the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do”. Masters, time and time again, have given us permission to create – but we hide. Like Adam in the Garden of Eden, in our fear - we hide.

Don’t be afraid. You know why you are seeing this today.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Even a snake sheds its skin
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Thought of the Day
I don’t know if the weather is getting nicer where you are, but it sure is here. The sun is out longer and longer every day, and the days are getting warmer and warmer. Here in California, it’s true we don’t get to experience the seasonal changes as some other places in the country / world, but the onset of spring is very special to many no matter where you are.

I’m right there with you too. I love the spring! To me spring is the sign of birth and rebirth; a time to start new things, or start anew with old things. To me, the onset of spring is more important and certainly more exciting than the beginning of the year. And this is where “spring cleaning” comes from too.

So, I would like everyone to at least start thinking and planning about your spring cleaning. Oh, you don’t think I mean cleaning house do you? Well, that’s a good place to start, but just as your house accumulates dust and things over the winter time, you body, mind and soul accumulates clutter too. Right now I’m more interested in you cleaning the clutter from your body, mind and soul. If you think about it, you know what I’m talking about. Use your newly found will-power and start cutting back. Open the shades on the windows of your heart and mind and let the light shine into those dark, musty corners… plenty or webs grew there over the winter – time to get rid of them.

Reduce the clutter and brighten things up, and I promise you’ll be much happier.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Do you see silver linings?
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
I heard the other day someone ask a psychic; “I feel like I’ve been thrown out of a plane flying at 4,000 feet without a parachute – what can I do? The psychic replied; “Hang on; it will all be over soon.”

Of course everyone laughed, except (I would guess) for the person that asked the question. But where the psychic / motivational speaker was coming from was from a positive verses negative perspective. The New Thought movement teaches us that we are to move forward with an attitude of gratitude. Well, that is all well and good, but is it good to say, “I am so grateful that I am out of work, and have no money to speak of”. We can and should accept our lives as they are, because there is a lesson for us in everything, but we certainly don’t have to be grateful that we need to open a vein and sell blood in order to buy a ‘kids-meal’! To be grateful for the negative is counter productive and will only lead to more negative.

If you’ve been thrown out of a plane at 4,000 feet, then your perspective of things beneath you should be pretty good. You also will have some time to change some things. We live in a very relative world, and there are always at least two sides to everything (sometimes more). Try to see the positive instead of the negative. We get to assign the meaning to our lives – that is what God called free choice… so why not assign good to the good you can find? OK… the good may not always be easy to see. A silver lining can be pretty small when we are looking at a massive, dark, rain cloud, but trust me – the silver lining is there - always.

I know one thing I will promise you - one thing for certain. If there is no silver lining – if you cannot or will not see the silver lining – you cannot or will not EVER see the rainbow!

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard