Always what I need to hear

So with all the impending changes I have coming into my life, I turned to Joyce Meyer's Daily Devotional and her husband's daily Life Lines to see what they have to share today.

Of course, it is always what I need to hear for comfort and peace!

God's waiting for you. COME AS YOU ARE, not as you're trying to become.
He'll make you what you are to be.

Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart;
for consider how great are the things He has done for you. —1 Samuel 12:24

I feel I have been needing to make a change for a long time, but NOW is the time. One cannot continually live with one foot on new ground and one foot on familiar ground. There comes a time to choose.

Yesterday I CHOSE.

And, that action... CHOOSING..... has already started to open other possibilities that were not there the day before when I sat in fear and indecision. It is truly amazing!

So, with faith in my heart I will fearlessly start to wander out on this new ground!

What would you do, if you couldn't fail?

I found a helpful article called "The Path to Purpose" by Erin Pavlina.

She shares an exercise to do to maybe help find your 'purpose.'

Ask yourself, what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

You ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want to do? (desire)


• What can you do? (ability)


• What should you do? (purpose)


• What must you do? (need)

Then you see if there is a common thread amongst the four answers.

So, here is my try:

1. What do I want to do?

• I want to be in nature, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, etc.


• I want to help others (especially kids) enjoy and appreciate nature.


• I want to take pictures


• I want to explore spirituality


• I want to travel beautiful and exotic, quiet places (not tourist traps and nothing unsafe)


• I want to create inspirational things for others.


• I want to inspire others, motivate others, bring others UP

2. What can I do?

• I can kayak, hike, and snowshoe


• I can take beautiful pictures


• I can grasp spirituality, and help others understand it


• I can inspire others


• I can create videos, draw, paint, garden, think out of the box


• I can relate to kids and help them feel encouraged and inspired

3. What should I do?

• I should encourage others.


• I should empower others.


• I should inspire others.


• I should help others, love others

4. What must I do?

• I must be in nature often


• I must be my own boss


• I must be free to be creative


• I must make money to pay bills and enjoy financial freedom


• I must have freetime to be with family and friends and self

SO... now what? If I had all the money in the world what would I be doing??? I would be enjoying nature and helping others to enjoy nature and helping others to APPRECIATE nature. I would especially try to bring nature to CITY KIDS. This has been on my "goal sheet" for years and years. I have always wanted to start up a program for city kids to get out kayaking. And not on CITY LAKES.... but on REAL LAKES... far from the city. BUt I always think negatives soon after I get an idea... I would need insurance. No one will let ME do this without going through government agencies, getting a ton of impossible-to-get licenses, etc....

BUT.. I realize that is ME trying to CONTROL things.

This time I must let go and allow purpose to find me. Now that I am more aware, this will happen! I know it will. ;-)

My Quest: Figure Out What I Want

I have been focusing on a million things. I am going to slow things down and focus on ONE thing: WHAT do I want?

Until I know what I truly want, I cannot take action, seize opportunities, or do anything without distraction.

So, I am putting this out to Source: I intend to find my desire.

I will keep my mind open, my demands and ego at bay and just take what comes. I am at ease because I know anything is possible. I also know the answer will come to me. I just have to keep living purposefully, connected to God.

I will update my progress here.

Can't Rush the Rose

When we want to experience the beauty of the Rose, we plant a seed.

We nuture it, water it, fertilize it, and offer it sunlight.

Then... we let it be.

Breaking the seed open before it is ready, pulling at it, tugging at it to try to get it to bloom faster would only result in one thing: death. The rose would not bloom, it would die.

Patiently we await for the day it blooms....

When patience is looked at in this way, it is clear that it is not just a virtue.

It is essential for life.

Patience is not anxious.

Patience is not worried.

Patience is not restless.

Patience does not yell or cry.

And what patience is.... ultimately.... is trust.

A knowing that what will be, will be...

and not a moment too late.

Be Still

I need to truly practice "Being Still" this week.

I was starting to feel that anxious, panicky feeling again with underlying thoughts of, "What do I do next? What do I strive for next? What I am supposed to do today? Tomorrow? Next week? Next month?"

I meditated.

Then later I decided to take a nap.

To literally just SLOW DOWN my entire being... lay down and stop doing anything at all.

As I lay there, moments before I drifted to sleep I had a feeling of ease wash over me and I was reminded of some things Dr. Dyer spoke of in his Power of Intention Audio Book.

Our "life purpose" is not found in an occupation, in our belongings, in our possessions, in our bank statments.....

Our Life Purpose is to LIVE Purposefully.

You do that where you are, as you are.... in THIS moment. NOW.

Therfore, I don't have to STRIVE for answers. I don't have to STRIVE for "my calling." I don't have to STRIVE for this and that.

It will all come to me.... as I live purposefully moment to moment.

Do you know what grasping that notion does to an anxious, stressed and worried mind????

It offers instant peace. INSTANT PEACE.

Last week I was so stressed and worried and anxious.... it was an awful feeling. I am thankful for it now, because it reminded me how I do not want to live. I do not want to live full of that anxiety. That is not our normal state of being.

Our normal state of being is peace and joy. The world and society and often even those we love, want to argue that, though. Every moment someone is trying to bring you down. I won't be brought down.

My normal state of being is peace, joy and good health. I will remain there.

There is nothing I have to DO. I have to keep remembering this. There is NOTHING I need to DO.

Here's something better....

There is nothing I need to do..... UNTIL there is something I need to do.

In other words, I will know when there is something I need to do if I just TRUST GOD.

LET GO.... LET GOD.

I get it now.

Now... to LIVE IT.

I intend to have a spirit-filled week. I intend to LIVE PURPOSEFULLY (being of service as I am needed in EACH moment). In doing so I am trusting God to watch out for me and to show me my next move. Patiently, I will not worry or let anxiety take hold.... I will live purposefully in each moment and watch it all unfold.

Living in Gratitude

As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the
highest appreciation is not

to utter words,
but to live by them.

John F. Kennedy

This quote by JFK always sticks with me for some reason. I admit I have no clue about the context of the quote, or what was said before or after... it doesn't even matter. All I know is that phrase always finds me. And, lately I see a running "theme" going on in my life that totally points back to those words. I see and read things even when I am not "looking" for them, so I know I am just meant to truly digest this and live it.

I guess I always believed it, but recently I have more clarity about what it means to truly live with an appreciative demeanor. I have more clarity about how to do that, too.

Why does it always irk me when a smoker throws their cigarette butt out their car windows? Easy.... because to me that gesture is saying, "F U !!" to the world. To me. To society. To everyone. The smoker may not notice it or even fathom it, but that is clearly the gesture I get from it. To me it is as bad as someone just blatantly giving you the middle finger as you drive past them.

Is that living with gratitude?

Is it living with gratitude to leave your cart in the middle of the parking lot for "someone else" to deal with and put away properly?

Is it living with gratitude to hem and haw and tailgate people not going the exact same speed as you on the freeway?

Is it living with gratitude to make a clerk's life miserable because a mistake was made at a store? Or restaurant? Or anyplace?

Is it living in gratitude when we IGNORE each other on the streets? Afraid to make eye-contact. Afraid to utter a simple "hello." Or, maybe "afraid" is too strong a word. How about "too busy" or too "self involved." Everyone walks around talking in their phones and listening to their own music in their iPods... connecting with people all around the world, but not those right in front of their face.

Is it living in gratitude when we hoard every penny we make. Or when we won't help someone out unless there is money or gifts exchanged? Or when we hem and haw if we ever have to give a little extra of ourselves every once in awhile?

Yes, it is very clear. Being thankful is way more than uttering the word. We have so much to be thankful for.... look at our lives! When I want light, I FLIP a SWITCH. Are we supposed to take that awesome invention for granted just because it's been around for awhile? A divine thought came to life.... we created light for our dark nights. We don't know how it works... something about electricity and some atoms doing stuff???? I don't have to know how it works... but I expect it to work, just the same. I am thankful for this. How about our homes? Our cars? The sky? Water? Trees? Money? Clothes? Lightening? Snow? Rain? Births? Deaths? It is ALL meant to be appreciated. (Even if you think it is bad)

Being Kind = Being Thankful. Isn't that beautiful???

And what is even more beautiful is we don't have to make something up. We can just FIND opportunities to extend kindness staring at us. But, the key is... you have to have your eyes open so you can see it. You have to have your iPod muted so you can hear it. You have to have your heart prepared to do it. And your ego has to be tied and gagged in a dark room so it can't interfere. It will happen quickly. You can't afford Ego butting in and casting doubt on you.

When we extend acts of kindness, respect ourselves and others, respect nature and our communities and take care of each other; THEN we are living the appreciation instead of merely uttering those words.

"Thank You" is meaningless without the attitude and action.

Topic of the Week: Stress and Offense

I have been listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer speak on being stressed and offended.

I love how he puts it: "Why do YOU have "the right" to be stressed and offended?"

To succumb to stress and offense is basically to let your ego rule you.

What are we really saying when we say "I am stressed?"

"I am too special to have to deal with this."
"No one else has to do this."
"I am far too busy for this."
"I am far too important and have far too much to do."
"Why should *I* wait?"

Or what do we say when we are "offended?" Basically.. one thing... no matter the reason for being "offended" it boils down to one thing: "Everyone should think, do and say as *I* do."

So the feelings involved with being stressed and/or offended all point to the Ego being bent out of shape.

Letting our egos rule us basically mean we are held hostage by the ego.

Do we need to be Right, or do we need to be Kind?

I think the answer lies in how we FEEL after each.

Sure, the Ego may make us believe that we feel "good" after winning an argument, but that won't last long... the ego is always looking for ways to "win" and get ahead. And, usually.. if, after winning an arugument and unintentionally making someone else feel bad as a result of it, we will feel terrible afterwards.

But.... how do we feel after being KIND??? It is proven in scientific studies that seratonin levels are raised after acts of kindness. AND... NOT just by the one being kind. The one receiving kindness also has raised levels of seratonin. AND..... ANYONE OBSERVING THE KINDNESS also has raised levels of seratonin.

I find it interesting that there seems to be an increase in "depression" and the main ingredient in "anti-depressants" is a drug that helps raise seratonin levels. Along with diet, exercise and KINDNESS maybe we can, as a society, beat depresssion?

More Notes on Being Kind
When we are being kind we are actually showing our appreciation and gratitude. Not just to the person we are being kind to, but to LIFE. In my case, this is God. Maybe for someone else it is just society or life. Either way.... it works. :)

I also noticed this weekend that we don't need to WORK at being kind. It is no work at all. We don't have to fake it or create moments to be it. All we have to do is keep our eyes, hearts and minds open. Be observant. You will see a MILLION ways to "Be Kind." From picking up a piece of trash or putting away a wayward cart in the grocery store parking lot, to letting someone go ahead of you in line, to holding a door open for a stranger, to something as simple as just SMILING and saying "hello" to someone.

And, all the while... with NO EXPECTATIONS of favors being granted in return.

The FEELINGS I have observed within myself as I "practiced kindness" all weekend is that it feels WONDERFUL. There are no words to describe it, actually. Not that I have not been kind before this weekend. But, this weekend I chose to really FOCUS on it. To REALLY practice it. And in doing so, I realized there are a million ways to be kind that I hadn't done on a regular basis before. Doing it without the Ego is the key. To do it just because it needs to be done, not just because it is "convenient" and certainly not to lift your own ego's self-esteem.

The fact is we are rewarded when we practice true, genuine kindness. (not the forced, fake kind). We are rewarded EVERY TIME.

What is "true, genuine kindness?"
It's the kind that you do without your EGO being involved. It is the kind you do just because you see someone needs help, or something needs to be taken care of or done. You know it is true and genuine because you FEEL it. You can't explain it, you just FEEL IT. You don't do it to make yourself feel superior, or to make someone else feel helpless. You do it in a way that makes EVERYONE feel good. And, you don't care if you get recognition, and infact.... you would prefer you DIDN'T get recognition as that would take away from the genuineness of it.
When we practice kindness like that we win EVERY TIME. And, society WINS. EVERY TIME.