Yesterday I made the very conscious choice to stop what I was doing  to simply experience the moments without feeling tied to commitments.

I drove for an hour to a specialty store to be able to sit in the warm sun an enjoy 100% all natural chocolate.

I drove some more then parked the car to be able to stroll the city with my love.

Then, I drove another hour to sit by the pier to watch the sun set.

While we sat I noticed two ducks swimming toward us. Of all the people on the pier they swam to my feet and just sat…and sat…and sat. After a few moments, instead of being nervous, I whipped out my phone to capture the moment. Then I became curious. I asked, “I wonder what ducks symbolize?” So of course I went to Google.

I chuckled when I landed on the first line of the first site I visited as I read this words, “The spiritual meaning of the Duck speaks the message: Be in the now, be in the moment, for this is where all of your power exists and is available to you.”

I’m not debating whether this meaning is valid or not, but I do want use this experience as a reminder to you to be in the moment.

It is so easy to be in the past–thinking about what you should have done or what they could have done or how something could have been done differently to make now better. It is equally as easy to be in the future–worrying about what needs to be done or your ability to fulfill your future commitment  or will you be able to complete a task well enough to meet others standards. But it is not as easy to remain focused at length for this present moment.

Being fixed in the past can create anxiety. Being focused on the future can create fear. But being in the moment creates peace, and when you are at peace you have power–power to deal with anything.

I read recently that humans’ attention span is less than a goldfish…8 seconds…YIKES! That being said, here’s a personal challenge: right now in this moment stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, take a deep breath and focus on the fact that right now, you have the power to focus…and do this for 12 seconds.

If you think you can’t, I’d suggest you keep practicing until you know you can. When you do, I suggest you reward yourself with the experience of being able to say, “I AM in the moment.”

Finally, you can smile knowing that you focus is better than a goldfish! 

So how do you feel? Let me know below.

Joy is not an achievement. Joy is what you get when you remove the impediments to joy, which are anxiety and fear.

This simple statement brought up 3 questions:

1. What is causing you anxiety?
2. What is causing you fear?
3. How can you remove the impediments?

I hope you choose to stop and answer these questions for yourself.

I hope you choose to take the actions to remove the impediments to joy.

I hope you choose affirm for yourself, “I AM joy.”

By the way, the scientist was Dr. Harville Hendrix

It’s crazy. It makes no sense. I don’t understand it.

When you hide, cower, or make yourself small, there are some who love that. When you don’t allow yourself to be the big, bright, bold, beautiful you that you are, there are some that thrive.

But, make the decision, take the actions to burst on the scene being who you are, and those same “some” cower, as if you being you takes away from them. They’ll stand behind you and scowl. They’ll smile in your face, but plot against you behind your back. They won’t feel they’ve won until they feel they have put your light out.

It’s crazy. It makes no sense. I don’t understand it. And I don’t have to understand it.

You don’t have to understand it. Just know this: what you put out comes back to you. Your choice to put light out into the world, comes back to you as light. Your choice to put love out into the world, comes back to you as love. Everything beautiful about who you are that you choose to put out, comes back to you making you more of who you are.

So my friend, don’t fret. As it’s been said, “Don’t sweat the haters. Do you boo,” and I guarantee life will lift you higher. Make a decision and declare, “I AM bold enough to be myself” and you will always win.

You are walking on a dirt path that is speckled with gravel and bits of grass growing between rocks, the gravel and dirt. You feel secure because the ground is beneath you. Nearby you can hear the sound of water rushing down its own path.

You continue to walk down this path and you begin to notice that you can see water on either side. Then you notice a steep drop to your left and to your right. You still feel secure though because the ground is still beneath your feet.

As your walk continues, you notice what begins to seem like the end of the path. You continue to move in that direction because you know that your destination is up ahead. After more yards of walking the end has been confirmed. The very clear and obvious path does end. You approach it and wonder, “How will I reach my destination?” You continue to march forth with the question becoming louder and louder in your head.

Then you arrive. You are at the end of the the known path, but you have not yet arrived at your destination.

Now, the water that was just a faint sound earlier, is beneath you crashing violently against the rocks at the bottom this cliff. Yes, you have arrived at the cliff’s edge.

You want to continue, but you can’t. You will die. As you ponder what appears to be your only option–going back where you came from and finding another route–you feel a strong urge to keep walking. “WHAT?!” You question and exclaim. “That’s crazy talk! I can’t keep going forward. I WILL DIE!”  But despite your exclamations, the urging becomes stronger by way of encouragements and signs.

Something inside of you knows that if you take the step, you will be fine. But your logical brain says no. “What now? Do I trust the extremely crazy yet compellingly safe-feeling urge, or do I go with logic?” you ask yourself.

Recently I read something that conjured up the guided image above. It was something that I’ve heard many times in various forms. It was, “I am totally confident in letting go and letting God appear as the abundant all-sufficiency in my life and affairs.” As I read those words, the one word that jumped off the page was appear. That led to a string of thoughts that went something like this,

Appear…as in show up. Let God show up…in every aspect of my life. So when I don’t allow God to appear, I am creating a blockage. Avoidance! When I avoid an aspect of my life, I am creating a block. This is why I can feel so blessed in many areas, and not so blessed in others. Oh my goodness! The areas I avoid are the ones where I am having the most difficulty. Why am I avoiding? Because I’m afraid God won’t show up. But isn’t God showing up in a bunch of other areas in my life? Yes. So you think God doesn’t have power in this area? God does. So why are you not letting God? Why are you avoiding this area? Why are you creating the block?

Why are you creating the block?

I arrived at this: it’s a simple choice. Allow God to appear as the abundant all-sufficiency in your life and affairs, or not.

If you choose to allow, your mantra is, “I AM totally confident in letting go and letting God appear in all areas of my life.”

If you can relate, please share your thoughts below.

Yet on the other hand, in school students are taught to cooperate and that learning to cooperate prepares them for the real world. Heck, there’s even a teaching strategy called cooperative learning! In youth we learn that cooperation is needed for success.

Well which one is it?

I have noticed that most successful people in the world are busy being who they are, and they tend to be the people who break the mold.

Take for example Oprah–she’s got her critics, but look! I didn’t even have to use her last name and the chances are extremely high that you know her. She’s busy being herself.

Then there’s Joel Osteen. Folks criticize him for not teaching brimstone and fire, but guess what? He’s experiencing success nonetheless. He’s busy being himself.

There’s even a guy that’s running for president. Most people I know don’t care for him, yet he is winning the race. And he’s doing it being himself. (Yes, one could argue he is in competition with the other candidates, but c’mon, is he really?)

The point: if you want to have success with whatever you’re doing, don’t worry about other people and focus on yourself. Focus on your unique gifts and talents, allow the brighter side of your personality to glow, and show up busy being you.

Make the decision to live this truth: I AM running my own race.

Now, break the mold.

If it’s anything less than this, then it’s time to step your inner game up.

Repeat this all day until you’re on automatic: I AM awesome!

Now that you have viewed it, remember to do and say this, daily: I AM maximizing my day.

My mother, always said that when she was parting ways with someone. Even when she’d hang up the phone–same thing.

Growing up, I always took that line for granted, but as an adult, I understand.

Every morning we wake up, we are still here. I like to think that we are still here to  make someone’s day, make someone laugh, and make someone feel loved by sharing our heart’s light with them. Every morning we wake up, we are still here to enjoy our friends and family, enjoy a good laugh and feel the love of those we care about. Every morning we wake up, we are blessed.

So if you are able to read this, whatever time of the day it is, I encourage you now to take in a refreshingly deep breath, break out into a big beautiful smile and say, “I AM grateful for my life.”

You’re still here to be blessed and to be a blessing.

If this post made you feel good, then please share what you’re feeling inspire someone else.

Prepare to enjoy, Nature of Soul.

Who am I? I ask the question and listen to the voice deep within.

I am the only Presence there is, infinite, omnipresent. I am your Self, the only Self there is. There is no other.

But I feel there are two of us, a me and a You, a lower and higher mind, a helpless creature and a Divine Master.

A wave cannot be separated from the ocean, a ray from the sun. There is only Me, universal and individual. Return to that glory that was once ours–one Mind, one Presence, one Power. I am your Spirit; you are the awareness of Myself through which I function to reveal fulfillment in every area of life.

I am now aware of the I mighty in the midst of me, my one Self expressing as perfect life and perfect world.

I am not a human mind, for there is only one Mind–God-Mind–and God did not create anything opposite of itself.

I renounce the false belief that I am a human being, and accept the truth that I am pure Spirit expressing as soul and body.

Now, repeat it until you know it: I AM pure Spirit expressing as soul and body.

Excerpt for The Jesus Code by John Randolph Price.

When you feel yourself in a negative state, the chances are great that something in your life is misaligned.

It could be that your job is not aligned with what you feel in your heart–your reason for being.

It could be that you may be allowing yourself to be mistreated in an important relationship (partner, co-worker, sibling, etc.)

Or it could be that you are participating in social or professional activities that you do not necessarily believe in.

Whether it is one of these scenarios or another, the point is that there is a misalignment. It is the misalignment that is creating the negative feeling within, and I am here to suggest that the misalignment is between your experience and your soul.

There is a difficult choice to make. Something must end and you must detach. The situation must be remedied so that your lived experience, your life, can be brought into harmony with your soul. But how do you do that?

Here’s a recommendation:

1. Decide what’s more important? Your ego-based responses to external forces or living in harmony with your soul–your Higher Self.
2. Assuming you choose harmony, decide to detach from the situation. A mental and energetic detachment must occur before a physical one can occur.
3. Allow the circumstances of your life to shift so that the physical detachment can materialize. (My guess is that life would have already presented the opportunity and you have been holding on.)

That’s it. Choose to live in alignment with your soul. As you choose declare to yourself, “I AM choosing to honor my Higher Self.”