Tag: encouragement

How Tomatillo-Red Pepper Relish Can Change Your Life

I don’t know how to eat.

You’d think after some 50,000 meals that I’ve had in my lifetime I would have figured out this eating thing. It’s not the physical act of ingesting food that’s got me stumped. It’s not the chewing, and my fork skills are excellent.

It’s the tasting.

Food, for the most part, is something that I simply consume. It’s no different than regular unleaded is to my Honda Accord.  When the tank gets empty it’s time to refuel. Spending a great deal of my time on the road affords me the opportunity to sample a wide variety of not-so-good-for-you fast foods.  Far too many of my meals begin with a static-filled conversation involving a speaker and a window.

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So, How Great Could You Be?

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

— T. S. Eliot

Have you ever wondered how far you could go? How much you could accomplish?

Usually, the need to accomplish is a function of ego driven by competition. Many derive their own self worth and self esteem by measuring their accomplishments against what others have or have not achieved.

I am reflective in quiet moments contemplating Eliot’s words. How far could I actually go? What is actually possible for me to accomplish? In my contemplation, ego is absent. I am no longer concerned with achieving to impress either myself or the world. I am inspired by the possibility of fully living up to my most advanced self.

Each of us has been created and sent into this world with a unique combination of talents, gifts, and abilities. With these talents, gifts, and abilities comes the capacity for fully expressing such talents, gifts and abilities. Our greatest challenge and responsibility is maximizing our capacity to express ourselves fully…to live up to the greatness that lies within all of us.

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Counterpunching Adversity

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.”

— Ben Okri

The human spirit is amazingly resilient, so long as we remember that we are all stronger than we often give ourselves credit for being.

Some days the world just seems like it is out to get you. One test after another, challenging and pushing you. These tests are designed to measure your faith in many things, including yourself and your ability to deal with life’s unwelcomed jabs and uppercuts that can put you on the ropes.

At some point in life we’ve all had to overcome, to endure, to transform…relying upon hidden sources of inspiration and strength that we never even knew we had. Those hidden sources remain within, always available to help us move forward and past that which threatened to bring us down.

At times of adversity and uncertainty, embrace the source of strength which lies within you. Yes, you really are stronger than you think you are.

It’s a great day to be you!

One Common Heartbeat

“God will put a wind at our back and a rising road ahead if we work together as one.”

— Desmond Tutu

It’s amazing what happens when we work together. The synergies created by the whole quite often exceed the sum of the individuals.  Even more so when the work is based in compassion and love.

We’ve all witnessed the results when we collectively come together to aid and comfort those in times of darkness. The unity of the cause creates exponential energies. You can feel the presence of spirit which acts as a divine wind at our back.

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Words of Wisdom From Dr. Seuss

Wise advice from my favorite doctor:

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

So much about the quality of life is really how we chose to look at it. It’s where and what we chose to focus our attention on. The quote above, from Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, perfectly illustrates that point.

Think of anything good that has ever happened in your life. A special relationship, a great vacation, the best school year ever, an incredible concert, your business taking off. Anything. The laws of the universe dictate, unfortunately, that all things will eventually come to an end. At some point, something is gone. A void will be created. When things that matter no longer exist, we are conditioned to focus on the loss and sadness that accompany it.  It’s a very natural reaction, one that I’ve quite often experienced myself.

WHAT IF… With our understanding of the temporary nature of all things, what if we could use that wisdom to change our response to life when what was no longer is?

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This Will Make You Think…#21

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

— Mother Teresa

The words that we speak can have a profound impact on the people we are speaking to. Your words of kindness, love, and compassion will uplift and inspire those who hear your voice for many years to come. Perhaps even for a life time.

It’s a great way to change the world.

Something To Think About…#20

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

— Abraham Lincoln

Your level of happiness is predetermined. The good news is that you are the one who gets to predetermine it. Happiness can mean many different things to many different people, but the one thing about happiness is that it is a choice.

Your choice.

It’s the decision to see opportunity in times of change. It’s the decision to be grateful for what you already have. It’s the decision to see the beauty that already exists within you. It’s the decision to celebrate the wonderfully unique collection of talents, gifts, and abilities that only you possess.

Material things can sometimes make you feel good for a short while, but they will seldom ever make you truly happy. True happiness comes by simply making the choice to be happy and living accordingly.

It’s your choice.

Five Ways to Make Someone’s Day

Has anyone ever made your day?

Do you remember how it made you feel?

I had a great experience recently. It made my day. I received a message from someone in response to a comment I made on her blog post. She had eloquently written a piece that resonated with me at a very deep level. Her words prompted me share my honest appreciation for what she had written. Later, she sent me a warm reply which included these words: “you made my day”.

Wow.

I was stunned. I made someone’s day? Me? How did that happen?

I don’t know if I’ve ever made anyone’s day before. If I did, no one ever told me that I did. But the funny thing about being told that you made someone’s day is that, in turn, it makes your day as well. I can still feel the physiological changes that instantly radiated within me. Four little words, a simple expression of thanks and gratitude, made me a better person that day.

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Something to Think About…#19

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”    

— Lao Tzu 

In the material world, it is often difficult to see simplicity, patience, and compassion as “greatest treasures”. So much of our collective energy is focused on the attainment of possessions, position, and approval, all external by their very nature. All polar opposites of simplicity, patience, and compassion. 

A life where these three internal attributes flourish is an enlightened life. It is a life where the material becomes immaterial, where stressful frustration is displaced by trusting and knowing, and love guides all that you do.

Embrace the transformative power of these three “greatest treasures”.

How To Guide The World To Greatness

Funny, you don’t look like a light house.

But that’s exactly what you are.

For centuries, mariners have relied upon light houses to guide them through times of poor visibility, helping them avoid the jagged edges of rocky shorelines that can splinter even the strongest of ships. They serve as navigational landmarks, sending their powerful beacon of light miles into dark and stormy nights, guiding the lost and the wary home to safe harbors.

Light houses serve to guide those navigating the seas. What kind of light houses do we turn to to navigate our life?

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