Tag: peace

Somehow I Know This Makes God Smile

I’ll admit I’m not that good at praying. Unless you consider asking for things proper prayer etiquette.

For most of my life, praying was the equivalent of sitting on Santa’s lap and providing Him with a list of things I wanted. Some of my more advanced praying techniques included a negotiation of sorts with me telling God what I would do in exchange for me receiving what I was asking for.

Either way, the burden was on God to deliver.

These days, yes, I still want things. But I want something more meaningful than a new bike or the perfect career opportunity. It’s all about Continue reading “Somehow I Know This Makes God Smile” →

Go Feng Shui Yourself

Rearranging the “furniture” in your mind.

I have a love/hate relationship with painting. I love looking at the myriad of individual paint sample cards. I love the feeling each shade evokes. I love the possibilities. I love how the room will look and feel when the project is completed. Unfortunately, the paint doesn’t get on the walls by itself. That would be the hate part.

Standing in Home Depot’s paint department in front of 100’s of little color samples that offers millions of possible color combinations can be a wee bit overwhelming. For me, perhaps the most difficult part about repainting a room is deciding exactly how I want the room to feel. Cozy? Whimsical? Peaceful? Tranquil? Fun? Color can make any four walls feel exactly how you want them to feel.

We all spend a great deal of time coloring the environment we live in. From the colors in the rooms we dwell in, the furniture in those spaces, the music we listen to, the books we read, the car we drive, the clothes we wear, the friends we keep, we surround Continue reading “Go Feng Shui Yourself” →

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.

Continue reading “One Common Heartbeat” →

Three Simple Steps to Extracting Your Greatness!

Greatness isn’t what it used to be.

Not in my book, anyway.

The traditional interpretation of greatness has always relied on an external comparison component. You know, the you’re-better-than-me  she’s-better-than-her evaluative comparison stuff. Only through comparison can something be considered greater than something else.

Without the comparison, there is just is. If Mount Everest was the only mountain in the world, would anyone refer to it as being the tallest? No. It would just be a mountain. It needs lesser mountains around it to claim its greatness.

Continue reading “Three Simple Steps to Extracting Your Greatness!” →

Three Simple Steps to Greatness Every Day

There are several reasons why I like to write about greatness and full personal development. One of the main reasons is incredibly selfish. Writing helps remind me to live up to my own greatness. Hope that in reading these posts and short essays you’ll also be reminded that it is a great day to be you.

I’ve listed below some simple steps that have enabled me to add more carpe to my diem.  A great day starts with a great morning. A great morning sets the pace for the rest of the day. I often find it difficult to “retake the day” if the day gets away from me. So, starting out each day on the right foot is critical for me.

Continue reading “Three Simple Steps to Greatness Every Day” →

Cruising Altitude…and the White Knuckle Ride

“Feel free to move about the cabin…the captain has turned off the seat belt sign…”

Cruising altitude.  That point in the flight where you’ve risen above the turbulence and the clouds. Time to sit back and enjoy the ride. Ease the seat back and grab a $4 beer. Or two. No worries, mate. It’s all good.

It wasn’t that long ago that life sort of worked that way. You’d get to a certain point in life where you could finally just sit back and enjoy the ride. Career stable, home life stable. Blue skies ahead. There was a calming and reassuring predictability to life.  

Cruising altitude. 

Continue reading “Cruising Altitude…and the White Knuckle Ride” →

Peace, Happiness, and Living Half Full.

What a concept.  Peace.  And happiness?

I am amazed at the pace of my life.  One day seems to morph into the next day.  If the days weren’t numbered on the calendar I don’t think I could tell them apart.  I have three phone numbers, three e-mail accounts. Let’s not forget the Blackberry and the old-fashioned fax machine.  A “day off” has become a day in which I simply don’t work as much as I do on non-day off days.  I wonder if the pace of life is actually getting me some where, or is it simply blurring the view?

So who has time for this peace and happiness stuff?

Continue reading “Peace, Happiness, and Living Half Full.” →