Daily Thoughts

6/2/21

“Doing It Right”. I have been one of those people who have sought to make other people happy at my own expense. I have allowed others to dictate my identity, my dreams and aspirations, and how I spend my time and money. I doubted myself because I believed that others knew how I should act, think, and be. I couldn’t accept that I was “doing it right” if I was doing it my way. When I stopped focusing on what other people thought I should do or be, I began to live a more authentic life. One important aspect of living an authentic life is to understand that what we are doing daily is “doing it right”. Living an authentic life means that we are focused on our dreams and aspirations to make ourselves better. Learning and growing mean that we are “doing it right”.

From where I sit, I am always “doing it right” because I am always learning and growing.

Daily Thoughts

6/1/21

Choices. Every morning, I have choices that I can make during the rest of the day. The first and foremost is how I am going to choose to spend that allotment of hours, minutes, and seconds. Do I make the choice to start my day with my daily writing, or do I spend it watching funny videos from my social media feed? Do I choose to have quiet or turn on the TV or radio? Do I choose to concentrate on well-being or what might be physically challenging me that day?

The options that I encounter during the 24-hour period that we call the day on this earth will determine not only how today goes but also how the days of my future will go. Choosing to complete projects frees up my tomorrows for other activities. Choosing to have a positive attitude today makes having a positive attitude tomorrow easier. Choosing to forgive myself and others opens my heart and sends ripples of forgiveness and kindness into my family, coworkers, and community.

As I look back on my 59 years on this planet, I see the ripple effect of choices that I made. The choice that I made to be at the event where I was injured had a direct impact on my immediate family as well as my extended family at the University. Each of us have had to choose between finding the good in what happened almost 39 years ago and allowing what happened to bring us down into fear, depression, anxiety, etc. That was but one event in my life, and the choices that I made that day has affected every other day since. It could have become my primary definition of who I am, yet I have chosen to have it as only a fraction of how I define myself.

From where I sit, I don’t know what options are going to be presented to me today, but whichever choice I make – not choosing is also a choice – I will embrace it and its impact on what else comes my way.

Daily Thoughts

5/31/21

Being Authentic. Those two words some of the hardest to live up to. I know that I have been struggling with my own authenticity, and some of that has been reflecting in these daily thoughts. I’ve been trying to follow someone else’s version of what a good conversational/motivational blog is and how it should be written. I lost myself a little bit in some of the posts. Being authentic requires that I operate from my own compass – I set the directions for my life, and I allow input and advice. If that input and advice don’t match up with what I see as my pathway, I don’t follow it. If I follow for a while but make a choice to change because it doesn’t fit, my authenticity has demanded it.

It has only been within the last 10 years that I have fully embraced this process. I had been in the process of establishing an identity that aligned with my spiritual/energetic core up until that point, but I had spent the majority of those first 50 years being what others thought I should be. I was the good son. I sacrificed my authenticity and hid some key aspects of myself. I abdicated my power to control my own destiny. The trauma of the spinal cord injury and the physical dependency made those choices easier. Allowing others to control aspects of my life that were more difficult was easy, though it created other problems that I ignored. Because I had given them power over me, it was understood that I would be to they thought I should be. I had given my power to be authentic to the fears and judgment of religion and Society.

Almost a year ago, my body gave me a new test. The stress levels that I had been under trying to help others and be what they thought I should be came to a head when my body shut down because of sepsis. I took charge once I was mentally back to a level of functioning that made it possible. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am on my own path and not following what others believed I should do. I still listen to input and advice, but if it doesn’t align with my spiritual core, I make a decision based on what does. I am taking time to listen to that “still, small voice” within. That has made the biggest impact.

From where I sit, I seek my own authenticity and celebrate yours.

Daily Thoughts

5/30/21

Memories. Within each of us are the memories of those who have come before us. Many of us talk about the genetic inheritance – the memory that is encoded in our DNA – and how we are destined to continue to relive that memory. Epigenetic theory tells us that we don’t have to live that “generational curse”, but the process of rewriting our DNA requires the combination of the physical, the cognitive, and the self (our energetic/spiritual being). Finding ways to align our thoughts and our actions with Source (through our energetic/spiritual being) must become part of our daily routine.

From where I sit, I rewrite the memory that is included in my DNA to break the bonds of “generational curse” through meditation, exercise, and diet.

Daily Thoughts

5/29/21

The Power of “I am”. Whenever we use the words “I am”, what follows it is created. Those two simple words are the words of creation. Choose wisely what words follow “I am”, and you will see a shift in your self-concept and self-esteem.

From where I sit, I choose carefully the words that follow “I am”, and it makes all the difference in the world.

Daily Thoughts

5/28/21

I Pray Peace. Not only is imagination an important aspect of personal growth and expression, but so is speaking the words to manifest growth. For me, I have learned not to “pray for something”, but to “pray something”. When I pray for something, I am strengthening the concept that it isn’t there, when in reality it is there, but not manifesting itself because my focus is on what is missing. If I want peace, I envision peace and pray peace. If I want health, I envision health and pray health. That minor shift makes all the difference. I may not have it right now, but envisioning it will bring it at its appointed time.

From where I sit, I pray peace. I pray love. I pray reconciliation. I pray unity. Will you join me?

Daily Thoughts

5/27/21

Imagination. Most of us think of imagination as using our creative thoughts to draw, write, create video, etc. That is part of imagination. Imagination can also be used to create a better life for ourselves. Each day, we have the opportunity to imagine our lives being better, staying the same, or attracting negative consequences. Where will your thoughts go today? Will you imagine a world of fear, division, and hate or will you imagine a world of peace, joy, love, and happiness? The choice is yours.

From where I sit, I imagine a world of peace, joy, love, and happiness and invite you to join me in imagining a better place to live.

Daily Thoughts

5/26/21

Perceptions. What we see and experience in the world runs through a filter in our brains. When eyewitnesses are interviewed after an incident, there are a myriad of interpretations of what happened. Our perceptions of the world around us run through the filter of either love or fear. Our actions grow directly out of those perceptions. For change to occur, our perceptions must come through the filter of love.

From where I sit, I see a world changing as fear is replaced by love.

Daily Thoughts

5/25/21

What Do You Want? Every moment of every day we make decisions. Some of those decisions are intentional, yet the vast majority of them are on autopilot. We are the product of those decisions that were made in our past. Our future is dependent upon the decisions we are making now. We will continue to manifest from our old patterns until we make the choice to change. If you are not getting what you really want, you have the choice to change your decisions.

From where I sit, I begin the process of breaking the old patterns for myself and encourage and support others in their efforts to rewrite their patterns.

Daily Thoughts

5/24/21

Reprogramming. There is evidence that shows that 90% of our habits and basic personality traits have been established by the time we are seven years old. From the time we are born, we are programmed by the culture around us. If that programming has told us that we are lacking in some area – or multiple areas – we have spent much of our lives feeling inferior. This message is false. We all have abilities. We all are enough. Every morning, we have the option and opportunity to reprogram those messages of lack, inferiority, and fear into messages of sufficiency, competence, and love.

From where I sit, I embrace sufficiency, competence, and love of myself and my fellow man.