It aint always what you think
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
Do you know where in your process you are?

I remember reading in Neale Donald Walsch’s ‘Conversations with God’ an interesting perspective. He wrote about how Jesus did not cure everyone that he met. The fact that Jesus only cured a relatively few people raises questions and sometimes even puts Jesus in a bad light, after all, couldn’t Jesus have cured everyone? Of couse he could - so why didn't he?

I have faith that Jesus could have cured everyone, but didn’t because of what Neale writes about – the process. Life is a process, and there is a reason for everything. Some people are healed and some people are not. This is part of their process. Life does not usually give us a dozen roses, (found on the side of the road) so that we can give them to a loved one to show how very much we love them. No, sometimes that process is a huge fight prompting you to remember how very much you love someone so you go out and buy them a dozen roses. Life does not make your teenager perfect and wholesome so that you may be proud of them, but rather the process is your teenager makes choices that could hurt them, yet by way of a successful choice they give you cause to be proud of them. And on the other side of that coin – life does not make your child a wimpering, mess so that you may nurture them always, but rather when in the process, they make the wrong choices – you can be there to nurture their hurts. All of life is a process.

Become familiar of where you are in the process, and your understanding of what you have, what you want, what may be yours will be made clear.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Gotta flat?
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
Are you feeling stuck? I have an exercise for you that is fairly common and used by many Life Coaches (you may have even seen it before) – the Balanced Life Wheel Chart. First make you Life Chart by drawing a circle and dividing this into eight sections. It could be more or less depending on what you want to look at in your life. Each section (or piece of pie) should be identified with one of these aspects: Career, Physical Environment, Fun & recreation, Personal Growth, Romance, Friends & family, Health , and lastly Money. Now draw two circles within the original circle, so that your chart now looks somewhat like a dartboard. Label the inner circle as Unsatisfied, label the next circle as Whatever, (meaning you are not unsatisfied, but it certainly could be better) and the last, original circle is labeled Satisfied. You can make more circles on your Life Wheel it just depends on how much detail you want to assign to it. (you can see an example of this wheel on my website on the Fun Free Stuff page).

Now start coloring in the pieces of pie. If you are unsatisfied with the romance in your life, color in only to the first circle. If you feel OK with your Health color that section up to the middle circle… and naturally if you feel good or satisfied with any aspect color the entire piece of pie.

Now what you have is a visual aspect of your Balanced (or Unbalanced) life. Focus on the colored section; if that were a wheel on your car, how smooth do you think your ride would be? This simple exercise is an excellent example of the balance in your life. If there are one or two segments that are only colored in to first line, (and this was a wheel to your car) you can understand how easily your car would get stuck! And if you don’t get stuck, at least you are up for one bumpy ride! What if you don’t have significant dips, but every segment is colored in to the "Whatever" circle. Well, again if this were the wheels of your car, you might not get stuck but (just like any smaller wheel) you will have to work a great deal harder to get to the same place.

Our goal in life should be to color in the whole piece of pie. Yes, that is not an easy task to do, but it certainly is a task worth trying to do. There will be days when you will get a flat tire – something goes wrong with your relationship, or you get hit with a huge tax bill, and this will knock you out of balance, but then you focus on that part of your life for a time till you can get it back up to speed.

“I feel like I’m constantly fluctuating in my wheel”, you say, “I start feeling lonely so I go out and party. Then my friend piece of pie is colored in better, but my money pie starts to shrink, or I’m so hung over my work suffers”. This is basically going through life rotating the tires. You’re not focusing on getting better, you’re focusing on keeping the status quo and making slight adjustments to get by. Fix the problem and stop robbing Peter to pay Paul. By the way, don’t think you are alone in doing this – most people do this. We tend to think it’s easier to live life this way, but if you think about it is it? How would you feel if you physically had to rotate your tires every other day? You’d get pretty exhausted really quick!

Be balanced.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Are you a rolling stone?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Thought of the Day
Are you a Change Agent? This term has cropped up a few times over the last couple of weeks and since it’s a new term to me the significance that I’ve seen it several time lately is not lost on me (remember I don’t believe in coincidence).

Since change is one of the things we pretty much can count on happening (actually we desire change) being a Change Agent is a pretty good thing to be. It doesn’t matter if that is in the corporate world (where the role of project manager is being replaced by a Change Agent) or in your personal life. Every Life Coach you speak to should recognize that they are Change Agents.

So what is a Change Agent? Change Agents, tend to be leaders, but that is not necessary. First the Change Agent accepts that change is necessary and good. Change Agents challenge the status quo, realizing that in all probability there is a better way. Change Agents understand the change and are able to communicate the needed change and if necessary negotiate the waters to get buy-in from others. To build a team of other Change Agents is important. Change Agents are flexible knowing that change can be a tricky place to be; the Change Agent can roll with the punches without getting too bruised up. They have vision, and can see the ultimate positive results of change. Lastly a Change agent truly understands the value of change and champions change.

Harold Wilson wrote; “He who rejects change is the architect for decay – The only human institution that rejects progress is the cemetery”. I think Mr. Wilson hit the nail on the head with this one. If we do not have change in our life then we have stagnation. Just as the water of a river must keep moving to avoid becoming foul, so must our lives keep moving.

So put on your shiny armor today, and be a Champion – a Champion for change!

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Only the Shadow knows for sure!
I had the pleasure of listening to my mentor Debbie Ford on www.hayhouseradio.com/. Of course, she was talking about the subject that has given her so much success; Shadow work. Our shadow, as I too have discussed, are those qualities or traits that we possess, but would rather not. Those nasty bits that we push to the way back of our mind and then deny. These are the shame spreaders – the snob, the bitch, the bully, the know-it-all, the martyr, and so many more.

Basically, we as humans have the ability to possess all these traits and their polar opposites. As adults we’ve been exposed to most of them, and have made a judgment on them one way or another. Do we allow them to influence who we want the world to see, or do we deny that part of our self? If we shove snob in the shadow bag, then we own humble as our character, if we put bitch in the shadow bag than we own nice (some people shove nice in the bag and keep bitch).

I hate to tell you folks, but as Debbie says; “God didn’t give you any spare parts.” There’s no use denying our shadow. Worse, it’s counter productive because every quality brings a gift to you in some way. If you are remodeling your house, and you are behind schedule, over budget and the workers arrive late, take long lunches and leave early, don’t you see how “bitch” could be a blessing? If you’ve got someone pulling for your attention, but they are a distraction to your plans and goal to go off, and to do things or pay them attention at this time would be a huge mistake - don’t you see how “snob” could be your savior? Not only this, but when we continue to deny our shadow, those qualities will not sleep forever or ever go away. They will raise their ugly head when you least expect it, and you'll know the Mr. Hyde within you.

If you’re thinking “oh, I don’t have any denied shadows”, then think again. "The only time you don’t have a shadow, is when you are standing in the darkness." (R. Bly) Everyone has a shadow, but it’s not just dark characteristics there. As I said, 'nice' could be part of your 'light' shadow.

I could write a book on the shadow and what it all means. In fact Debbie Ford has written several excellent books on the subject (available at my website).

When the famous Psychologist, Carl Jung first coined the term the shadow, in psychological circles, he said; “Would you rather be good or would you rather be whole”. He himself, of course, chose whole.

"My God, when you see your beauty, you’ll be the idol of yourself." (Rumi)

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Whistle while you work
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
You like to be happy right? If you had the choice you’d be laughing and dancing every single day. I think most of us are like that – we’d give almost anything in order to be happy. Of course when you think of it in these terms, that is exactly how it is. You do have the choice to be happy, and you do have to give in order to be happy.

There is so many people out there however, that live in the perspective of, “well – if it happens, I’ll be pleasantly surprised” Murphy’s Law has nothing on these people. They will tell you, that because they live their life like this, they are not hurt very often. That very well may be true, but they are also not very happy people generally.

Make a commitment to what you love – make the choice to be happy. You’ll be surprised how much you will attract to yourself that will only add to your happiness if you start with a premise of happiness. If you live in fear of hurt and pain then you live in fear. Fear is constrictive and closed off – you’ll never be happy if you have fear. Is there a chance you’ll be hurt? Yes, of course there is – but it’s only a chance. There is also a chance you might be ecstatically happy!

Here’s a difficult experiment for you. Smile and say “hi” to everyone you meet today; especially strangers. You would think this would be easy (and mostly it is), but it’s difficult in some ways because so many people these days seem so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they walk right past you as if they did not even realize you were there; as if you don't exist. These are the invisible people…. Oh, we see them, but they will never be remembered or thought of again. And you wonder why they might not be happy? But within this experiment you will find that your smile and cheer will be returned to you. This energy will grow, and you’ll be amazed at how a simple smile and ‘hi’ can make you feel by the end of the day.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Are you tone deaf?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Thought of the Day
Tune yourself to the Universe.

I love the line in the movie August Rush; “[Music] It's all around us. All you have to do is open yourself up. All you have to do... is listen.” Are you listening? How much do you feel that you are lacking?

If you are lacking something – companionship, money, safety… then I suggest that you may not be fully listening. Or you may be listening but are only hearing the tubas. So much of what we experience daily is due to how we are ‘tuned’ into our surroundings. If you are upset at the man driving the BMW that cuts you off on your way to your lousy job, that’s what you are going to have in your life. If however you say to yourself, “I’m going to have a nice peaceful commute today”, the chances of that THAT happening are very good. If you're constantly angry at those that have more than you because you observe how selfish they seem to be with their money and resources, than chances are you will lack the resources you desire, and merely be left with the anger. I was listening to Ester Hicks the other channel Abraham, and he recommend that we have a general point of view of “It will work out; it always does”. Try living with that tone for a while and see how it works for you.

I learned many years ago an old saying that I’ve not really thought about for years; “Life is like playing a piano – you get from it only what you play. If you play Chopsticks, you get Chopsticks. If you play Rocmoninoff, you get Rocmoninoff.

Rock on!

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Do you wear rose colored glasses?
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
As we get closer to spring and summer, we start buying sunglasses to help filer out the brighter light. Have you given much thought to the other types of filters we wear every day (not just during the summer)?

Some time try this experiment – walk into a nice, natural setting on a bright, warm day and make certain you are wearing your sunglasses. This could be any nice nature park, woods or forest (if you are lucky enough to live near a forest).

As you are wearing your sun glasses, try to appreciate the natural setting for all that its worth. Hear the birds and insects chirping and clicking. Feel the warmth on your skin. If there is a brook or stream of water nearby enjoy the babbling of that stream as it twists back and forth through the park. Relish your surroundings for about 15 minutes – then take off the sunglasses.

You know as well as I there is a world of difference in the beauty you will see once those filters are removed.

How much more beauty do you think you’d see in your life if you take off the filters your ego and mind make you wear through out your day, months and years. How much do you think you are missing? I’d wager quite a lot. Of course we cannot take off all the filters, that’s impossible and if we could we’d probably go crazy – imagine if you suddenly could hear everything around you – the cacophony would be nearly unbearable. But some filters are not needed. How often have we stepped past a homeless person and not noticed them? How often have we rushed past people in despair and not heard their cries for help? How often have we eaten lunch in the arboretum, and not taken the time to smell the roses?!

So when you go out today, try leaving the filters at home.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Some of the earliest lessons were the best lessons.
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
“Don’t push”, “Be nice”, “Stand up straight”, “Clean up your own mess”, “Play fair”, “Share everything”, “Don’t hit people”, “Say sorry when you hurt someone”, Robert Fulgum wrote the wonderful book, “All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten” and in it he wrote; “The Kindergarten Credo is not kid stuff. It is not simple. It is elemental”. (Fulgum)

As Fulgum points out, if you extrapolate these very simple credos into your adult life you will see the value of them. Not only do we see the value, but we continue to live our lives by what we learned; hopefully. As we extrapolate these we come to understand that at the age of 5 we were trying to be taught some very serious things. We were not told, “If things are kept in order, if you have some order in your life you will better be able to move from one ‘place’ to another will less trouble.” No, instead we were told, “Clean up your own mess”.

"What we learn in kindergarten comes up again and again in our lives as long as we live” (Fulgum) - I couldn’t agree more with these points. So, if you feel like your wheels are spinning, maybe it’s time for you to sit down quietly and get back in touch with your internal child. Maybe he or she knows something you’ve forgotten.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date - no time to say hello, goodbye...
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
Here’s an exercise for you to do today – if you dare!

Be aware, and be focused of everything you do. When we join the ‘adult’ club, most of us sign on to the ‘rat race’ as well. Hurry, hurry, hurry. The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland has nothing on us! This will definitely be harder for some. Those of us that have a very definite routine can slide through their day on autopilot if everything goes OK. For those this will be difficult. We’re even half way there in driving considering GPS. Our cars are run by computers – GPS is a little computer… one day instead of the GPS talking to you, it’ll be talking directly to the car. Then we’ll be able to safely ‘zone out’ while we’re driving. But I don’t recommend that today (zoning out). No, today just be focused on what you do and be aware of your surroundings. Are you stuck in traffic? What does that traffic look like? What’s the weather like? Are there any trees around? Wildlife? You don’t have to miss out on life just because you stuck in traffic.

You don’t have stop being hurried either. But instead of being hurried, like the White Rabbit – have a purpose to your rushing around. Be single-minded in the things you do today. Rush, but with the single minded purpose to achieve a specific result. You may work rapidly, but not hurriedly. Simple be aware of what you are doing, and be focused about it.

This is not just an exercise to bring you back to this planet – although that is an excellent side benefit. This is actually a good exercise in will power. Like our muscles and minds, our will power needs exercise too; this is one of them. So, if you ever find yourself procrastinating, or not doing what you know you could or should be doing – try this exercise. Complete your daily tasks with single minded purpose, be aware and focused. If you do this enough your will power will become a monument to looked up to.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

What's in your superconscious?
Mood:  happy
Topic: Thought of the Day
I understand that you force yourself to get to the gym every day, or to get out and walk around the block, or you make healthy eating choices; watching your salt and fat intake etc. I understand that you read and keep up with the current events. So, my question is, what have you done for soul lately?

We are all created in the image of God, yes? To me that means we too are a triad - of body, mind and spirit – or soul. And I don’t care how great your body looks, or how smart your mind is – trust me when I tell you, your soul is in charge. How do I know this? Because when it’s time to go, it’s our soul that makes that decision, not the mind or body, and the mind or body cannot hinder the soul on its journey.

So, be nice to your soul. Don’t neglect it. When was the last time you meditated for 30 minutes? When was the last time you prayed? Could you have prayed for a few minutes longer? When was the last time you gave yourself in service to another? All of these things and more is good soul work. Even your daily walk can become your soul work. Instead of hitting the treadmill or a simple walk around the mall or block – try walking out in nature. Like it or not an isolated walk in nature will bring you closer to God then you’ve been in a while.

We need to have balance in our lives. With all the things we do with and for our body and mind, our soul can easily get neglected. When that happens we feel out of balance and like a spinning top out of balance we will ultimately fall over, and like that same top we’ll be spinning out of control – not a pleasant place to be.

Check your balance today – give your soul something to do.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard