“To learn anything you must put aside the safety of your ignorance”, Richard Bach wrote that, and it certainly rings true for me. We’ve all heard the old adage, “Ignorance is bliss”, well that is taking what Richard wrote and putting it into 3 words. Ignorance is bliss, because it gives us a sense of security, safety.

The problem is this is a false sense of security. Ignorance protects us from nothing. The world still streams by no matter how ignorant we may be. The chances of us getting caught up in that stream are still good. It is then that we become overwhelmed.

Ignorance’s primary mode of operandi is denial. That which we deny cannot touch us, or so we feel. In reality that which we deny has it’s bloody hands all over us! I deny the fact that I’m lonely – yet I sit every night at the table by myself eating or drinking myself into oblivion. I deny that I’m depressed, yet I can’t sleep at night worrying about tomorrow. We deny so much of our life in an attempt to keep that part out, to feel safe.

In reality, if we only “put aside the safety of our ignorance”, we may be plunged into the coldest waters of our life, but trust me, it is there that we will learn our greatest lessons.

Don’t be a victim of ignorance and denial. Be a survivor by stepping through it and learning the lessons of life.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

So how are those New Year resolutions going? Have you adhered to them, or now, at the end of January, you’ve pretty much given in. Well, if you've given in don’t beat yourself up too much. If you created your resolutions as goals, the wonderful thing about goals is that they can be modified and updated.

When we modify or update our goals however, it is hugely important that we consider those obstacles that got in our way. Now I know you considered obstacles when developing your plan, as we talked about, but there always seem to be some unforeseen issues that arise. When we update our goals, we can make the modifications to adjust for these new obstacles.

Keep an open and positive mind. We have to learn from our mistakes, otherwise they are just mistakes. And never forget what Richard Bach taught us in Illusions – “…perspective, use it or loose it.” The ‘day-to-day’ can catch up to us very easily, and we can easily become overwhelmed, but if the goal was important enough to write down and plan, then don’t loose that perspective, hang tough. Debbie Ford in her great book, The right questions, reminds us that if we are not going forward then we are ultimately going backwards.

So keep your eyes on the prize, and do as my GPS is constantly reminding me – “recalculating”

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

OK, so here it is – January 1, 2010 – and I want to know what you did (or will do) differently today? I hope you did something differently. Someone once said; “the definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.” So, if you’re looking for 2010 to look different, then you’d better be doing something different about it.

And I’m not necessarily talking about your goals either. It’s Friday – casual Friday for many businesses – will you wear a tie? Or a sharp dress? Will you take a lunch time walk? Will you meditate or journal? I challenge you to do something – anything different than your normal routine. I think you’ll be surprised at the results.

In our lives only one thing is constant, and that ironically is ‘change’. Change is the only thing that can truly be counted on. In life we are always looking for the sure thing, yet people shy away from change as if it were a rattlesnake – when in reality change is the only sure thing there is. So if you want to be the master of your own ship, then you must be the instigator of change – and if you don’t like the results? So what?! Change them!

This is 2010, and unless you didn’t get the memo, it is the beginning of a decade of change – jump on board or you might just get left behind.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

“If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh?...” Shakespeare wrote those words, and if you’ll forgive me, I’ll take them out of context (to some degree). When Shylock spoke these words in the Merchant of Venice, he was talking about revenge. Revenge is a dish I just don’t serve and I never recommend it, so I’ll drop that here.

But in a different perspective (and part of what Shylock was saying) is that we are all human. We laugh, cry and yes even bleed; and that blood is red. Let us never forget our humanity, and the humanity of others. In one sense or another we are all connected, and the “least that you do unto your brother, you do unto … [yourself]”.

As we enter into this New Year, and we are thinking of our goals, we have a strong tendency to think of what we want or need. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What I would like us all to do however is to consistently think of win / win scenarios when considering our goals. If you’re in a situation where you end up with a win / loose situation, and while you might come out on top, with everything you dream of, but you know someone else will clearly loose – then that is a situation that you should back out of. Even at great sacrifice to your goals, a win/loose outcome in reality serves no one.

Even if you seem to win, you will ultimately loose (especially if there is a ‘Shylock’ around - and a pound of flesh is alot to loose).

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

You’ve had a chance to look at 2009 and see what was “good” about it, and what was “bad”. In the end I hope you can know that it’s not about good and bad, but rather what served or did not serve you and your purpose. Even some of the “bad” things can serve your purpose. Anyway, with a little more perspective you’ve been able to create your wheel of life. If yours looks anything like mine it looks less of a wheel, and more like a flat tire! No wonder life is a bumpy ride!

The Wheel of Life is a great visual to help you see where you feel you need help. It is those areas that you need to focus on first. It does not mean that the other area’s are to be neglected. Every area of your life should have some goals. Write them down.

Some things you need to remember about goals are the following:

This a quick down and dirty process. Forget about a New Years Resolution. They sound great, and maybe a New Years Affirmation is good… but if you want to make things happen, you need a road map. You wouldn’t take any other kind of journey without a map would you? Why not have a map for your journey through life?

Lastly I will recommend Debbie Ford’s wonderful little book, The best year of my life, (available through my website and Amazon.com).

2010 is being created right now as you read these words. You are creating it. Create the best 2010 you can think of. As Gandhi wrote; “Be the change you see in the world.”

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

OK. Christmas is over and I can hear a huge collective sigh. But in the next couple of days, I will also feel the collective tension building as the New Year looms closer and closer.

I was curious so I looked up, on my handy computer thesaurus “resolution”, and here’s what I found:

aim, boldness, constancy, courage, dauntlessness, decidedness, decision, declaration, dedication, doggedness, earnestness, energy, firmness, fixed purpose, fortitude, guts, heart, immovability, intent, intention, judgment, mettle, moxie, obstinacy, perseverance, pluck, purpose, purposefulness, purposiveness, relentlessness, resoluteness, resolve, settlement, sincerity, spirit, spunk, staunchness, staying power, steadfastness, stubbornness, tenacity, verdict, willpower

There’s a lot of GREAT words there, I use many of them quite often, my favorites being; Perserverance, Purpose, Heart and Moxie; face it they are all good words, but one is missing and it is a key word in this regard – Action.

When it comes to our new years resolutions, and why so many of them seem to fail, action is what is needed. We need more than a resolution, we need goals. Before you jump head strong into your resolutions and goals for 2010, I’d like you to take a day or two and think about 2009; make a list of those things that you are very grateful for, or those successes you had, and I also want you to think of those things that may have missed the mark. This pros and cons list of 2009 will assist you in filling out your Wheel of Life balance wheel. (you can find an example at my website on the Fun Free page.) Once you have created your own Wheel of Life, and have that visual in front of you, you are prepared to sit down and make some effective goals.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

OK… the day is upon us! Tomorrow is Christmas. You can spell it how you want (Xmas), you can claim it comes from an ancient Roman pagan festival, and were it not for a converted Roman Emperor the holiday would not be what it is today. You can say, “What about Hanukah?”, or “Kwanzaa”? …The bottom line is tomorrow, December 25th, is Christmas day – the day all Christians come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ.

Yeah, I know … sometimes it just doesn’t feel that way anymore. The Christmas decorations start getting put up in October (in the stores on side of the aisle holds Christmas decorations, while the other side holds Halloween decorations). Santa gets arrested of "drunk and disorderly", (if not worse).

On top of that there is so much hardship out there right now. So many without jobs, or jobs that barely sustain, illness, homelessness – it’s not easy to see the joy in what is know as a joyous season.

It’s not easy, but it is also not impossible. There is joy and love out there, and more than that, there is joy and love in your own heart; it’s your choice to access it. You’ve heard the saying; “remember the reason for the season”. Of course many mean that to say that Christ is the reason for the season, and they’d be right. This year however lets take that one step further. Let’s remember that Christ dwells in all of us if we choose it. And if we can’t choose Christ, we can at the very least choose Christly love. We are the microcosm within the macrocosm. That is NOT to say that we are God, but rather the essence of God is within us and flows through us.

Light that fire inside of you, and people will drive by YOU, just to look at the lights this year.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

“Listen to your life. It’s showing you everything you need to know about who you can become”. Richard Back wrote this and it certainly is true. If you are one of those people, like I was, that thought they had a particularly suckie life (which is why I wrote; Can someone please tell me why my life sucks) then you are doing yourself a disservice.

Hey life can suck sometimes; it’s not all “peaches and cream”. Remember that even a bed of roses is going to have a few thorns. Things can get really hard though, and I understand that. But if you look into that hard place, instead of out of it, you will see an entirely different picture. And trust me, the picture you see will inspire you.

While you are wading through the muck of whatever life has given you at the moment, remember that it is all just a process – with divine meaning – don’t sell that short.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

“All that is good and goodness God has lent, not given to [mankind]” – Meister Eckhart wrote this and it’s true. We have much to be grateful for in our lives, but if we start taking things for granted, or believe that there is permanence in our lives, we will be up for a huge surprise.

Nothing is permanent – we can loose everything at a moments notice (as some of us know). You may have heard the expression; “The Lord God giveth and the Lord God taketh away!” If we can only remember this, our gratitude would grow by leaps and bounds every day. And what if you don’t have those things you want or need in your life right now. If you want them, then you probably had them at one point, so you can be all the more grateful for them in their absence!

Life is not meant to be hard. Yes, often it seems that it is. Yes, there is pain and suffering in this world – but there is also joy and happiness. If you can look at your life with gratitude, no matter what life has brought you (or taken away), then you will be better prepared to receive the abundance that God wants for you.

"Ask [with gratitude] and you shall receive.”

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Tomorrow, millions of Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving by sharing a meal with loved ones, or a special someone in some fancy restaurant.

Millions of others will be eating that meal with a group of others in some form of soup kitchen or homeless shelter. I work with several young men who are wondering right now if they will be able to visit foster, step or estranged family for this meal, or will they be forced yet again to have a modest meal (perhaps fried chicken and rice) in the group home. Millions of yet others will not be able to do any of it, and will sit in the cold wondering when their next meal might come.

Some people look at me, and wonder how I can do it all. What keeps me going? I know I’m far from perfect, I’m not a ‘Master’ of any kind. I’m just a guy that is so grateful for everything with which I’ve been blessed, and I count my blessings into the hundreds and thousands!

If you are reading this, you are my friend, and you have no idea how you have impacted my life. From the day I was born to now – we are all connected, and I’m so happy and grateful for that connection.

Be you in a soup kitchen, or fancy restaurant, be you in a group home, or home smelling mom’s pumpkin pie … or even if you are trying to stay warm in the library with nothing to eat … from the bottom of my heart I wish you a very joyous Thanksgiving. Be thankful for what you have, because right now is all you have.

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard