Right Now...Matters.

Do you ever look back at your life and break out in the sweats? You look back at choices you’ve made with your kids, and know you’ve F’d up somewhere? How many times have you woke up at 3am and evaluated your life; letting it replay over and over in your mind like a really bad song you can’t get out of your head?

For some reason, I have this cycle in my life where every couple of weeks I wake up at 3am in a total panic and I keep running over and over in my head scenarios of where I’ve totally screwed up as a parent; thoughts of “If I only” or “Why didn’t I?” Then, I start to worry about the future. Oh, man, don’t get me started about the future.

See, we all believe that we want to do a better job than our parents, and yet, in the back of our minds we keep questioning our outcomes. Should I have done it differently? I should have done this or I should have done that. We should ourselves right out of living in the moment. We keep looking back at what we did, and stress out on something we have no power to change.

Let’s face it, right here and right now…We will never be able to change the past. So why do we try? The only thing we have any control over is this exact moment right now. We keep basing our future on what we experienced in the past, and you know what? It never works because life is subjective. Nobody looks at any given situation the same way. I don’t care what anyone says, we could have a room full of people and something occurs—nobody will tell the same exact story. That’s because we all have our own history stamped and embedded in our minds. It’s the past experiences we cling to so we can draw some form of conclusion for our current state of affairs. We feel the only way to validate our current situation is by comparing it to what has already happened. The problem with that is then we are letting our past dictate our future.

There is absolutely nothing we can do to change the past, so it’s time to stop living in it. What if I said, who cares what we did yesterday, today is a new day? Because guess what? Today, right now, is the first moment of the rest of our lives…What we do right now, is the only thing that truly matters. The past is over, the future isn’t here; it is right now, the present, which we need to see as our gift.

We must stop beating ourselves up for choices we made with our old consciousness and start cheering for the choices we are making with our new consciousness! Right now, we have the choice to live from this moment forward, or keep, hitting the ball and dragging George. It doesn’t do us any good to drag along our past mistakes or doubts. It won’t create the future we want. We want a better future? We must start with living in the NOW, today. Learn from our past but stop inviting it to come along for the ride. Stop letting what we did years ago define who we are today. We are completely different people now.

Thoughts we think today, create the patterns of tomorrow. Think about it, what we focus on today creates our tomorrow. So what are we focusing on; more dread, anger, frustration, and our mistakes? Do we really want that to be who we are and what we bring to the table of our future? Take today each moment at a time. Feel what it’s like to breathe in the only breath of Right Now. Feel what it’s like to be completely present, in the moment. It is the most empowering thing we can do.

Here we go, today, take a moment to talk to someone you’ve never met. Smile at a stranger, hug your children a couple seconds longer, take a moment to stop and really listen to what your loved ones are saying. Be proud of who you are, and what you’ve become. Take this moment, right now, to live the life you’ve dreamed of having. Dare to make right now, the most important moment of your life.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings.

Picture taken when my son hiked the back country of Yosemite-Aug. 2012

Maybe Someone's Listening...

Waking up at 3 in the morning in a cold sweat on a freezing morning because suddenly the thought of inadequacy, lack, and fear has grabbed hold of my mind really sucks. The idea that every moment is an opportunity to change my thinking while clutching a jagged rock that seems to be crumbling under the subconscious rhetoric filling my head that my faith isn’t enough. Yeah, it’s January.

Why is it, that around this same time every year, I look at the accomplishments of the 12 calendar months prior to this moment and question if what I have now is any better than what I had then? It’s always this point in time that I question if my needs and wants were fulfilled in 2012. And every time I look back at what was I can say is…Absolutely. If I’m expecting the same experience, without changing roller coasters, guess what? I’m going to go on the same ride each time. Sure I can sit in different seats, but the rails my car is riding on is still doing the same dead man’s drop, loop de loop and corkscrew.

So why is it that regret, fear, and self-judgment seem to overcome me at 3 in the morning? Could it be that when I lay myself down to sleep, and slumber in peace, that those unsound, ominous, beastly fears I’ve stuffed way down deep within the dark corners of my undisturbed mind claw their way into the forefront of my thoughts to test me on just how much of a handle I truly have on my life?

When those sleepless minutes hijack the hours of relaxation is there any way to push past the mirage of bullshit my mind decided to create without my permission?

Yeah, well, at least I’m not alone…There are millions of people who raise their heads from the month of December, take a deep breath, and just hope the fan doesn’t stop spinning because of all the shit that’s hit its blades. Why do I live this way? Why do I fall into the impersonal(ness) of resolutions and plant wishes, only to forget to water them? 

How can I better myself when I’m not ready to do the work? How do I decide to stand in line for a new ride?

Life doesn’t have to be so bleak. I don’t have to lose myself in what I thought I wanted to be. There is no shame in looking back and sliding my forearm across my dampened brow because I made it through another year.

Every morning I wake up to another day with a chance. I am given a new opportunity with the rise of the sun and the setting of the moon. My true freedom comes when I don’t squander my life living in guilt, fear, lack, or pain.

I was created in Peace, born in Love, conceived in Joy, reared in Happiness, and given the Abundance of the Universe. It is my birthright to embody these qualities. However, throughout the years of growing up I’ve let the world dictate how I was supposed to live. Now I must weed the garden of my mind, pluck the weeds of inadequacy, lack, pain, and fear and plant the seeds of Love. Dig holes in the rich soil of my thoughts and plant the bulbs of Prosperity, Happiness, and Peace. It is time I taste each moment given to me without preconceived ideas that it’s gonna be carnival food instead of a gourmet meal.

You know what I find helps me work through the hiccups of negative moments? I read (non-fiction). I take my books that encourage me, enlighten me, and envelope my soul with positive thinking and I read them. I highlight lessons; I scribble words in the margins, and paste post-its or dog-ear the pages I need to go back and re-read. I do what it takes to eradicate the negative thought from my mind.

There is NOTHING more powerful than a made up mind. There is nothing more powerful than the thoughts I put out into the Universe. NOTHING is more powerful than the moment I create an idea in my mind. I can tell you, before my feet even hit the floor I can feel what kind of day I am going to have. If I listen close enough, there is this immutable power within me that does exactly what I think into it. It is time to unbuckle from the roller coaster I’ve been on and choose another ride; one where I don’t know about the corkscrew ahead or the huge loop de loop.

It’s time I give up all the fears of inadequacy, lack, and disharmony. It is time to plant what I want to grow in my garden of life, take a ride on a roller coaster I’ve never been on, and surrender to the idea that the Universe will always supply everything I’ll ever need. I just need to listen and remember to buckle up for the ride, because it’s truly is wonderful when I can live my life immersed in Love, Joy, Peace, Abundance, and Harmony.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings.

Bah- Humbug

As you hustle and run around trying to make the holidays perfect for everyone around you, make sure you take time for yourself. It’s so easy to get caught up in the thought that we will disappoint someone if we don’t get them exactly what they want. Come hell or high water, I need that giggling Elmo for my niece. What we forget is material objects can’t replace you.

What people really want is to be talked to, remembered, and thought of. It isn’t the present that makes the impression; it’s the thought behind it that makes the mark.

I remember one Christmas my brother gave me a paper towel dispenser. It must not have cost more than ten bucks. But I will tell you, it was one of the best presents I got that year. He had taken notice that I didn’t have one for my kitchen. It wasn’t the paper towel holder that choked me up that year, it was the fact that he took the time and thought about me.

This time of year, we take moments that are fleeting and cling to them hoping love will fill our hearts and joy will be the excuse for warm songs around the fire. We want that connection that keeps us compassionate.

Truth is some of us dread this time of year. The demand to be something we may not be. This is the time we should stop and look at what it is that we value. Take a moment to breathe and step out of the hustle and cattle mentality of commercialism. Slip into a warm bath, visit with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Take that walk in the rain with your children. Cuddle on the couch with your love and watch that movie you’ve been putting off. Slow your roll and see the vivid colors around you.

Don’t worry about tomorrow, it hasn’t come yet and yesterday is spent moments we can’t carry with us. Right now is a present given to us every second of the day!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

What's In It For Me?

When is the word tolerance going to be replaced by True Acceptance and Unconditional Love? We go around saying we are tolerant. But are we truly? Are we willing to let go of our preconditioned thinking, limited freedoms, and dogmatic beliefs that feed our humanity?

We are so busy trying to get, trying to make sure nobody takes from us, trying to blame everyone around us, that we have lost sight of the line that anchors us to one another.

We’ve become so caught up in getting our own thoughts and ideals across that we haven’t taken the time to sit quietly and listened to what the world is asking for. We hustle and busy ourselves with thoughtless, brainless quests that we have soaked and marinated in for so long that we have adopted the, “what’s in it for me?” mentality. 

What if for one hour, we didn’t think “what’s in it for me?” but we thought about “what can I do to give back?” What if we started a movement, a shift in thinking, a global interrupt centered in the mentality of…“What can I do to change the world around me?”

Let’s face it…this is our world, and what we choose to put out into it, is exactly what we will be getting back.

So how often are we feeding our souls with life affirming thoughts? When will the false beliefs that keep starving our spirituality, humanity, and beauty become the empty skeletons we sweep out from deep within our closets.

It’s so easy to jump on someone’s train of thought, or limited thinking because we are too fearful to lose the connection or status we feel we have with them. Unfortunately, we’ve become a species that’s weighted our value on being accepted by others. But are we really feeling accepted, or are we glad we aren’t the one that’s being thrown under the bus?

How are we feeding our souls? How are we seeing the world? What thoughts are crossing our minds when we see something that seems less than we think is acceptable or perfect? 

I’ve learned that if I want to change the world, I must first change my view of it. My perception of my life has got to change if I want to change my experience in it.

It all stems from the word WORTHY…often, we don’t feel worthy of what the Universe wants to give to us. We fear the compliments because we have been conditioned to appear meek and humbled. The problem with playing meek is that we will end up going around the world falling victim to circumstances. We will begin to believe we have no control over how we react to situations we are faced with. We need to understand that we can’t control all situations that may happen to us…BUT what we can control is how we react to them.

Yeah, it sucks when shitty things happens, trust me, I know. But if we learn to deal with it, experience it, and move from it a little wiser, we will learn that we don’t have to live in it. We don’t have to let that crappy experience define who we are.

It is time we start to believe that we are worthy of every wonderful thing in this world and that we are more powerful than any condition or event can define. We have the power to react to every situation in our lives, which in turn, creates the world around us.

Remember…“It is done unto you as you believe.”

So, believe you are wonderful…because you are!

Have a great day and thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

What Are We Expecting?

We all have dreams, aspirations, and beliefs that dive deep into the core of our souls. Everyone has needs and desires and yet we hold back from happiness, comfort and deep self worth. Why do we do that? Why do we play down our accomplishments and strengths in fear of judgment and rejection?

We’ve been trained by society to react from fear and lack instead of Unconditional Love and Unlimited Abundance. We’ve allowed our thinking to become tainted with the false belief of there’s not enough. We’ve become suspicious of the generosity of others as well as the Universe. In our copious attempts to become calloused to the riches of nature, we keep turning our backs on the true gifts we have every day of our lives. The mere fact that we’ve opened our eyes and taken another beautifully deep breath today makes us one of the richest living things on this planet! Let’s not cast our eyes down at the simplicity of such a complex accomplishment.

Subconsciously our bodies know what to do and how to do it to keep us alive. We don’t have to interfere, beg, plead, or meddle into its way of functioning. We don’t have to be conscious of what it does to keep us to experiencing life. It just does it. All we have to do is live.

The same thing goes for our consciousness. Same rules apply to living life. We get so caught up in trying to make things happen or stopping things from happening that we miss the best gift of all. The Universe, the power that keeps us breathing, blinking, and swallowing is the same power that gave us the volition at birth to make our lives what we want. All we have to do is wake up to our ability to use it.

Don’t get me wrong…or misunderstand me. We always use this power within us, whether we are conscious of it or not. When we state or affirm anything with conviction, we are using this Power. The Law of Cause and Effect doesn’t have a shut off valve or a sense of humor. We are using it constantly. So shouldn't we be aware of it, and use it constructively in our lives right now?

We must begin by changing the idea we have about our lives. If we tend to be people who see the cup half empty, we must make a conscious choice to see that cup half full! If we are always expecting the worst; we must start today by taking the small steps into higher expectation, and expect something better. It won’t happen overnight, but little by little our lives will begin to change.

It is nature’s way to supply plenty. Nature always gives without constraint to whatever/whomever is expecting more. Just look at the trees in spring. New branches grow, giving more space for more leaves then the year prior. Additional branches also mean space for added flowers to blossom with the potential of more fruit then the season prior.

More positive and productive thought creates space for more goodness in our lives. The additional goodness in our lives multiplies and produces even more Love, Harmony, Peace, and Prosperity in our lives. Multiplicity is and will always be the Universe’s nature.

Thoughts are things, but more importantly, thoughts are the things producing our lives every moment of every single day!

So, the question we must ask ourselves…What are we thinking into our lives?

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!