The Original You

How confident are you that your needs will be met? Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything will be supplied at the right time and in the right way? Most of my life my trust has been placed in things and people that were at best not reliable and sometimes dangerous. I gave away my power and trust to people and institutions that were not looking out for my good. Over the years I have learned to forgive myself for putting myself in these situations. I am making healthier decisions today that represent my belief that I deserve better for myself. What I have learned is that when I believe that I deserve to be treated well I will surround myself with people who treat me well. That sounds incredibly simple. And it is. It is the law of attraction. In life, we teach other people how to treat us. If we believe that we are unworthy of love and respect, we will surround ourselves with people who don’t respect us and treat us well. When we decide that we deserve...

From within you shines a light. It is from you, and it is you. You are part of a collective light that is shining through all of us. From the day you first existed you became a portal for the love of our Creator to shine upon the world. In spiritual form you were beautiful. Your physical form is still beautiful. This physical form is just a part of who you are. You are much more and always have been. As a human being it is my job on this planet to be a conduit for the light that is flowing through me. I am the hands and feet of my Creator. I was brought here to do the will of God in all things. The world around me can help me to understand how important the light from within is. Lighthouses are one example. I love lighthouses. There is something magical about them. On a regular basis, someone must clean the glass so that the light will shine more brightly. This cleaning is necessary, so that the ships passing by will be safe. It is this way in your life. For you to be the...

Have you ever said things to yourself that you regret, that hurt your spirit, or that are just not true? I have. I caught myself saying some last night. It’s an old habit. Maybe it’s more than a habit. It is something that I wish I didn’t do anymore. When I say unkind things to myself my spirit grieves. My spirit knows it’s being lied to. It’s being subjected to a line of thinking that is not true. And, it hurts my spirit. Here lies a golden opportunity. It’s an opportunity for growth. I believe it may be an opportunity for growth for you too. We have an opportunity to discover the truth of who and what we are. It’s a chance to get in touch with our real selves, and to create a beautiful inner and outer world for ourselves. When I go into quiet meditation and hear the beautiful voice of my Creator, I can again connect with my true and authentic self. I know the voice of my Creator. It’s clear to me when I hear these things. I offer this as a reminder that when you hear th...

I had one of those mornings. It doesn’t happen every day, but today it did. I got out of bed and thought about how grateful I am that I have another day of life. This blessed thought doesn’t come to me every day, but it’s nice when it does. I thought about all the things I am grateful for. 1.        I have a roof over my head. 2.        I get to wake up next to my wife who I love. 3.        I am breathing. 4.        I have a shower with clean warm water. 5.        My refrigerator has food in it. That list could go on and on. That was just a start. When I begin my day with gratitude the rest of my day seems to go better. Once I’m on that better track I can make healthier decisions for myself throughout the day. Gratitude is a magnet for good. It will bring all manner of situations to be grateful...

Do you feel distracted? Do you feel like you are being pulled in 20 different directions at the same time? You are not alone. Many of us feel that way. I was thinking this morning about my propensity for taking on lots of different projects at the same time, and the difficulties I have in completing them. Why would I take on another project before completing the one before? It’s usually because my mind is always thinking of ways to make the world a better place. When a project idea pops into my mind, I want to dive into it right away. The idea of waiting for completion seems foreign to me. My brain tells me that lots of half-baked plans are better than one plan that is done. The solution to this dilemma is two-fold. 1.        I need to prioritize. 2.        I need to be willing to stick with something to the end, and trust that it is good enough. Perfectionism. This is really what we are de...

Do you ever feel like you are in the wrong place at the wrong time? When I’m thinking this way, it is usually because I find myself in a situation that I don’t like. Or, I’m feeling like I must catch up. I feel behind, and I’m comparing myself to other people. This is usually when I am feeling less than somehow. This state of mind creates thoughts that are counterproductive and prevent me from moving into a more peaceful place. My goal in life is to become peaceful and to accept that I am exactly where I need to be. There is a school of thought that believes that this entire life of ours has been planned out already. That everything we do is about following a script that was laid out for us before we were born. That before we were born, we decided who our parents would be, what lessons we were going to learn, and even how our life would end. I believe a lot of this. I believe this system is a little problematic for me though, because it would mean that I have ...

Do you feel like you’re too busy to slow down? Do you believe you don’t have time to be quiet? I do. On a regular basis. It is a common issue in our society that is moving so fast. I get impatient. I want things now. And, I want them done according to my plan. Life doesn’t work that way. Recently, I have had lots of opportunities to slow down. It has been a wonderful blessing to be so quiet and contemplative. My writing has flourished, and my relationships have deepened. Relationships that I was ignoring or at least not nurturing when I was so busy have once again become more intimate. How I start my day is important. The first thing I do after waking up is listen to a meditation. It sets the tone for my day. When I fill my mind with positive thoughts, every decision I make during that day will be made from a more loving place. I oftentimes go back to that morning meditation throughout my day and think about how the message applies to the day at hand. Befo...

Do you ever have thoughts of self-doubt or thoughts of insecurity? Do you ever feel you are not good enough? You’re not alone. Many people have these thoughts. If you have them, you are in the majority. Life is full of opportunities for us to feel insecure. Our advertising presents images of perfect families, wealthy people who have no problems, and the thing that will be the magic solution to all our problems. This can create a feeling of not being enough. In my life, I have surrounded myself with people who remind me that I’m OK. Yes, they confront and challenge me when I need to change something. They help me deal with parts of myself that I need to change. And, they love me. It is not the absence of problems and issues that makes us wonderful. We all have issues we need to work on. It is the affirmation of our self-worth knowing we still have issues that will build self-esteem. For years, I was under the false impression that I had to resolve all my proble...

Do you know what a blessing you are to those around you? Are you aware of how important you are to them? Do you ever feel like you are not important to those around you? I believe that being appreciated is one of the highest forms of support that we can receive. When someone says that they appreciate us, it can make our day. It may come as a surprise to you, but there is someone thinking about you right now. This person is hoping that you are well. This person is wanting good things to happen in your life. This person is holding you in prayer. Maybe it is a spouse, a good friend, a minister, a brother or a sister. This is a powerful understanding. To believe that there is a person thinking about us can inspire us to feel gratitude. There have been times in my life when I didn’t believe that people cared about me. I lived through some lonely years when I was not aware that people cared about me. The truth is that people did care about me. Lots of people cared abo...

All of us have felt stuck at some point in our lives. All of us have experienced trying to do something, and not getting the results we wanted right away. It’s part of the human experience to be stopped for a while. We all have a different reason for being stuck. There may be financial blocks. Maybe it is a consequence from our past. There may be self-esteem issues that have us believe we can’t do something. The reasons vary. The result is the same. We feel stuck. How can you move past this place of fear, and address the dreams that you have? It begins with forgiveness and compassion. Forgiveness for your past and compassion for your younger self. The next thing to realize is that you are not alone. Everyone has experienced setbacks. Mistakes and failures are part of every human’s experience. Not one of us have had a perfect life with no failings. To be human means to experience these things. When we can realize this, we can begin to forgive ourselves. I have used my...

Compassion is a beautiful word. It means to have concern and a willingness to understand. I am good at having compassion for other people. As a sensitive introvert I am in touch with the energy around me and the pain that others are feeling. Having compassion for myself can oftentimes be difficult. I have done many things in my past that caused emotional pain to myself and others. Yes, I have since done a lot of work on my issues, but the hurt was done. When I think about my past, one of the ways I heal myself is by having compassion. I have compassion for that part of me that was hurting for so long. I have compassion for the part of me that was looking for attention. And, I have compassion for the me that didn’t know any better. We are all doing the best we can in this life. Everything we do is born out of a belief system we hold dear to us. Even when we are not in touch with ourselves, we are still doing the best we can. Even when we cause hurt to ourselves or others, we a...

I am guilty of often not taking responsibility for my life. That’s a hard pill to swallow. I pride myself as being somebody who does not outwardly blame other people or play the victim in my life. I believe that other people see me as a very responsible person who is kind to other people. I am kind to other people. I am responsible in many ways. I show up for work, I do my chores at home, I pay my bills on time, and I do my best to be the kind of loving husband that my wife deserves. Therefore, I believe I portray an outward vision of being responsible. It is the behind the scenes things that I struggle with. For most of my life I was not responsible or respectful with my money. For many years I spent it in ways that were not healthy for me or the people around me. I treated it with and air of arrogance and privilege. When I got married, I began to be responsible. Once I chose to be married, I had to also decide to be responsible with my money. Once our money was pooled t...

Change is one force in the universe that you can absolutely be sure of. Since the beginning of time change has been occurring. One thing we can all be sure of is that it will continue. Sometimes change comes quickly, and other times it evolves over eons of time. The Grand Canyon in the United States is a perfect example. It has taken millions of years for the Colorado River to carve its way through. Today, it is still digging a little deeper into the earth below. Our lives and the world in general are also in a state of constant change. Laws that were enacted hundreds or even a dozen years ago are no longer relevant to the world today. Attitudes change, beliefs change, social norms change, and fashions change. In 1750 it was deemed normal and lawful to own a black person. Today this horrible practice is illegal. Changing social norms and how we get along with each other is slow. Although we deem it illegal to own another black person, the practice of racism ...