Is life really like a box of chocolates?

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Run Forrest run!  Yep in the famous words of Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're gonna get."  Regrettably this is true for many people, but would it surprise you if I told you that you can change all this? That you do in fact have the ability to know what life is going to hand you. That you have the ability to fashion any life you want?  The naysayers are already circling the wagons waiting for a fight, but I assure you that after today you just might look at things a little differently, and then I will have done my good deed for the day.

Ninety nine percent of what we go through is generally brought on by our own thoughts and words.  Well maybe not 99%, but a fair share of it I can promise you that.  Humans set themselves up for failure more often than not.  They look at what may be in front of them and far too often it is thought to be doom and gloom.  This doom and gloom has been brought on by years and years of conditioning from others who expect the world to come to an end.  Sadly, these are the same people who can't stand it when the world in fact continues on.  "This day is going to suck" can be heard across this planet on almost any given day.  People will get up out of bed and before as much as a "Good morning to you" they have already figured out why today is going to suck.  Let me fill you in on a little secret: if you feel as though the day is going to "suck" I will bet you any amount that you will not have to go far to have this proven out to you.

Our inability to free ourselves from the so called ups and downs of life in in direct proportion to our inability to set the intention.  What do I mean by setting the intention?  It's quite simple, if you want peace, joy, and happiness in your life then speak it out.  If you want life to continue to suck, then simply continue to say it sucks and your wishes will come true.  I know this may seem like a simple concept, but it seems that this simple concept is harder for people to grasp then you would think.

For years and years I would bemoan my financial condition.  I couldn't understand why I could never seem to get ahead.  I would always say why I hated never having enough money to do what I wanted to do, never realizing that this simple act of stupidity on my part was what was stopping me from having the abundance that was mine to have.  For years I would wonder why I could not find the right job.  Once again it was because I was setting myself up for this by the words I spoke and the thoughts that I was unable to hold captive.

If you want to know what you are going to get out of life then all you need to do is tell life what it is going to be like.  If you want peace, then speak it, live it, give it to someone else.  If you want joy, sow joy.  If you want happiness then be happy for others, and watch that happiness come back to you in a greater measure.

I've spoken about the Law of Attraction numerous times over the last few years, but this law is one of those things that you will have to experience before you will ever make the shift that is required.  We will never change the Law of Attraction, but what we can do is understand it so we are on the positive side of it and not the side that says that life "sucks".  Given the option to live in peace and joy instead of fear and unhappiness, which side of the coin do you really want?  When it comes down to it, you have to make the choice.   Your thoughts, words, intentions, are what will dictate what appears in your life.  Let's be real, if one were being honest with themselves, they would have to admit some of the words that have come out of their mouths.  Words that have set them up for failure, words that have brought them misery and torment.  Most haven't done this on purpose, they have just continued on down a road that has been shown to them by others.

I carefully watch the words that come out of my mouth.  I hold captive those thoughts that do not depict the life I want for myself.  Until such time as I was able to see this I was experiencing life that could only be classified as miserable.  I thought that life sucked, but I was the one that was making my life this way.  I had to realize that there was no one else to blame for what I was going through.  Intention is a powerful thing.  Intention is the difference between a life full of promise and one filled with all manners of distress and lack.

Your words, your thoughts, will come to pass.  So what do you want in your life?  If you want to know what lies ahead for you, then all you have to do is set the intention and let it happen for you.  I know how difficult it can be to believe this, but give it a try and see if things don't turn around for you.  I have been on the end of the stick of life that has beaten me down, bloodied me up, and let me say I hated it.  I have also learned to set the intention, and because of that I now have the things that were missing for so many years of life.

We will talk about this again I'm sure, but until that time do some studying on intention.  I can't make you do this, but I can encourage you along the way.  If you decide to discount this, oh well I tried.  If you can pick up on this then change will come.  I recommend change by the way.

I stand in awe.

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Try this on for size.  We have been taught all of our lives to be in awe of God.  Without regard to what faith you might have been raised in, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, you were taught to respect and fear the Creator.  I was taught that I should stand in awe of the awesomeness of my creator.  I was taught that I should stand in awe about all that the creator created.

We can look at this world and marvel at what is around us.  The oceans, the mountains, the stars in the night sky.  No doubt they are all pretty amazing.  Here in lies the issue that most people deal with: they can appreciate things around them, but that same appreciation is not heralded toward themselves.  They are so quick to point out their own shortcomings and they are too eager to pick up that badge of honor that says they need to suffer for the sake of suffering because this will teach them humility.

If I stand in awe of my creator, then isn't it possible that God, Spirit, the Creator of the Universe, also stands in awe of us?  Isn't it possible that God also looks upon us with awe?  It is not just possible, it is truth.  There are people who have this belief that you should never use God's name in vain.  I agree, but don't we blaspheme God when we do not see ourselves as God sees us?  I mean, if I cannot see myself as a divine creation of the Creator of the Universe, then I am saying what God has created has no worth.  That in my book is blasphemy.

I was having my lunch yesterday and as I do most days I generally sit outside by myself.  I like this time of solitude so I make a point of doing it as often as possible.  I was listening to some music and the song I was listening to was one that I have heard hundreds if not thousands of times, but this time it was different.  The song is simply called "I stand in awe" and it implies that we as humans should have reverence for our creator.  It says that God is beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words.  As I sat there enjoying my lunch I was shown something that I had never seen before and it literally brought tears to my eyes.  Spirit was telling me that I was beautiful beyond description and that I was too marvelous for words.  God is in awe of me.  Knock me over with a feather I tell you.

We as humans have been taught not to think too highly of ourselves.  It is crude, rude, and socially unacceptable.  Herein lies the problem:  in our effort to not think more of ourselves then we should, we have neglected to understand our own divinity.  We have not seen ourselves the same way that God sees us.  We have effectively soiled what God has created.  We have blasphemed God.  Now there are those out there who will argue to the death what I am saying here, but I would be remiss if I neglected to spell out what I know as truth.

Until such time as you can see the beauty of your creation, the splendor of your being here, and the perfection of God's creating you, then you will never fully be the person you were intended to be.  Until such time as you can appreciate who you are, you will never be free from those things that have buffeted you for years and years.  If you want to remove fear, doubt, lack, unhappiness from your life then you will have to begin to see yourself the way that God sees you.  I am telling you that you could have knocked me over with a feather when Spirit showed me how I was looked upon.  Do you think that God looks at the universe and says "Well it was a good try, but not quite what I was looking for.  I guess it will have to do"?  Do you think that the perfection of God's design only applies to things outside of ourselves?

I am beautiful beyond description and I am too marvelous for words.  These are not statements of conceit, they are affirmations of who I am and how I was created.  This is how my creator views me.  You to are these things.  When you can begin to grasp this, your life will change in a fundamental way.  There is a shift going on and part of this shift is the enlightenment of those who are willing to accept certain truths.

I stand in awe because I am in fact awesome in the eyes of my creator.  You must begin to see the perfection of your design, the perfection of your being here, and the perfection of the rest of the universe.  Yes there are problems in this world, but that is only because there are those who have yet to see themselves the way that God sees them.  Will we ever get to the point where everyone is enlightened to who they really are?  I don't know the answer to that question, but I can hope.

You may not comprehend just yet the beauty of your existence, but if you will begin to see you for who you are and see yourself the way that God sees you, then I will promise you this:  life will change in a dynamic way.  It is time to unleash the divinity within you.  It is time to accept these words that you are beautiful beyond description, that you are too marvelous for words.  Make this shift in your thinking, own who you are, and live in the knowledge of why you are here, and see if you are not changed in the twinkling of an eye.  It is your destiny, and you will walk in it.

As tiny as a mustard seed.

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It is as small, if not smaller than a mustard seed, but from it grows something so immense people will be talking about it for years to come.

What is it?  Some say faith is like a mustard seed.  Some say it is vision.  Vision for the future, vision for things yet discovered.  Some say it is our dreams and what those dreams mean to us individually and corporately.

For me the one word that sums all of this up is destiny.  Destiny is a combination of faith, vision and dreams.  One must have faith to believe that something is real without really seeing any true evidence of it at the beginning. One must have vision.  The ability to see things that may not be manifested just yet, but inside you know that you know that they are real.  Dreams, ever present and always there to shed light on the possibilities of the future.  We all have faith, vision, and dreams.  We may not always abide by them, believe them, or even desire them, but I can assure you we all have them.  We all have them because we all have a destiny, and these three things are what will bring forth your destiny, or at least your ability to discover and ultimately walk in your destiny.

Your destiny was present the moment you were born.  At that moment you had no idea what faith was.  You knew nothing of visions, and dreams, but they were something that would come about as you developed over the years.  As a newborn your understanding of destiny was very small but over the years it has grown because you have grown.  You have seen bits and pieces of it even if you have not wanted to admit to it.  You have dreamt about things not knowing that these dreams are attached to your destiny.

Why do I bring all this up today?  Fact is, I write about destiny each and every time I sit down behind my computer.  The title may be different.  The topic may change each day.  What doesn't change is the intent of my writing, that being, to make you aware of, and ultimately enjoy a life where your destiny is what drives you, what motivates you, and what brings you joy and happiness.  When I started writing my first book I never really gave it much thought how it would morph into what it is today.  I knew I had something inside of me that I wanted to get out, but I never saw myself writing numerous books, blogs, and other things.  As I began my journey I was unsure as most first-time authors are, but I also had this knowing that I was headed in the right direction.  If you had told me that destiny was going to be my main theme, I may have listened, but I never thought to what degree destiny would be playing out in my own life.

True Destiny in the beginning was as tiny as a mustard seed, but today it has grown into something that I never could have imagined.  Truth be told I'm not even sure I really believed in my destiny at the beginning.  I have spent countless hours over the years reading about self-discovery.  I began to dissect and otherwise tear down those things that wanted to get in the way of me walking in my destiny.  It took faith, vision, and a whole lot of dreaming.  However, if I can do it and it is for me, then you also can do it, for it is just as much for you as anyone.  

Your destiny, whether it be ever so small in your knowledge of it currently, has the potential to be something huge.  Let me say this: the size of your destiny is not what is important.  The grandness of your destiny is not important.  What is important is that you discover your destiny.  As humans we tend to see things and measure them against other things.  Measuring your destiny against someone else's destiny is a mistake.  Your destiny is no more, nor any less important than anyone else's.  I have said this so many times in the past, only you can accomplish the things you were created to accomplish.  Remove ego from the equation for ego will destroy your ability to fully walk in your destiny.

It is time to release all that you are.  It is time to take that tiny seed that was planted in you at the moment of your conception and let it bring forth the destiny that resides in you.  As your faith grows, as you see things that may seem impossible, as you dream of what can be, then you will be one step closer to your destiny.  Walking in your destiny is what brings peace, joy, and happiness.  If you are lacking in these areas then it is doubtful that you have accepted your purpose for being here.  Turn things around and begin to follow what you know to be true.  Follow your heart and extend your faith.  When it is all said and done, you are the only one that can grab your destiny and run with it.  Your understanding of your destiny may be as tiny as a mustard seed right now, but I can tell you that it will not stay there.  It will grow, it will flourish, and it will take you to new heights.  It is time to take that first step.  It may seem like a leap of faith, but it will be the first step in a journey that will take you to some pretty amazing places.  I am there with you, always looking out for you.

Dare to Dream!

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Too old to dream!  I've heard that before and I will always give the same response, bull crap.  If ever there was a time that required dreamers, and needed them in a big way, now is that time.

Saying that one is too old to dream is as nuts as saying that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.  We dream because there are things that we are supposed to do in this life and age has absolutely nothing to do with it.  So if dreams are here to show us something, why are we so quick to discount them?  Why do we automatically toss them out simply because we feel as though what we are seeing in our dreams will never happen?  One of the main reasons people never follow their dreams is because they haven't a clue how they play into their destiny.  If one were to connect the dots they would see how everything is connected and they have been given a perfect road map to where they are supposed to go with their dreams.

Those who dare to dream, who dare to dream big, are the ones who will accomplish things that many have said was impossible.  Those who dream big are the ones who don't allow age, or gender, or backgrounds to stop them.  Those who dream big are the very ones who will tell you that life is all about capturing your dreams and running with them.  I have dreams of helping others achieve all in life what they were so eager to achieve.  My dreams are now out there in front of me and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't reflect on them and walk in them.  If I am able to do this then there is no reason in the world that you can't do the same thing.

How sad is it when you have a dream, you get swept away by the joy that comes from just envisioning what the world would be like when you accomplish what is in your heart, and yet you never ever take action on those dreams?  I could have sat around for years and years dreaming about writing a book, and I could have grown old and gray never putting any action or energy toward those dreams.  Today I am so glad that I got off my butt and did what was in my heart to do.  Has it always been easy?  No, not always.  But I will tell you this, it has always been an adventure, and boy has it been rewarding.

Henry David Thoreau said this about dreams, and I have used this quote in several of my books, "If one advances confidently in the directions of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."  The word confidently really resonates with me in this sentence.  Many times we have dreams that we are not really confident in.  Most will ask if the dreams are just due to something they ate too late in the evening, or is there something that really needs to be picked up on with the dream.  Confidence comes from practice.  When you were just a toddler and began to walk there wasn't a whole lot of confidence in you.  Once you got a little older and a little more stable in your balance then walking became something of the norm.  Well the same can be said about dreams.  Once you have accepted that you have dreams for a reason, and once you understand what you should do with them, then you are able to take them, work with them, and then see the results of each dream.  Your confidence will build with each attempt and before you know it you will meet up with that unexpected success that Mr. Thoreau so elegantly wrote about.

So let me ask you this:  what are your dreams?  What are those things that you would love to do, have thought about doing, but as of this moment still have not moved on them?  Funny thing about dreams, you can't get rid of them.  They will continue to come back to you until you either take some kind of action or they drive you nuts.  Sadly, many people have opted for the nuts part instead of acting on their dreams.  Well today is a new day and you have the opportunity to turn the page of a new chapter in the book of your life.  You can set aside the past and leap toward the future.  A future mind you that has been spelled out in pretty good detail within the dreams that you may have buried deep into your subconscious.

Stepping stones, stepping stones, stepping stones:  that is why we have dreams and that is what a dream is all about.  They are stepping stones to your destiny and the sooner you can grasp this the sooner you will forget about what others have said to you and move forward in doing the things you know you should be doing.  Whether you are twenty or eighty, dreams will come to you and because of this that means there are things that you need to do.  We never stop dreaming and we never stop working with our destiny.  You can run from it, but it will find you.  You can bury your dreams but they will still inch back into your life in so many different ways that you would have to be a complete idiot not to be able to spot it.

I dare you to dream big.  I double dare you to dream big.  I triple dog dare you to dream big.  If you will lower your guard, trust in your intuition, and follow your dreams, then that moment of unexpected success in common hours will be your reward.  You are never to old or too young to dream.  It is time to dust off your old dreams and do what you should have done long ago, follow that dream, and see where it takes you.  Your destination will be a place of pure joy and happiness, and in finding that place, you will take others along with you to enjoy pure joy and happiness as well.  What are you waiting for, lets get moving and see what dreams are made of.

Knowing the right time to do the right thing, sometimes it's easier than you think.

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Just get out of the way and let things happen as they were intended to happen.  Too many people find themselves unable to do this.  It might be a control thing, a fear thing, or simply not having the faith to believe that there is a higher consciousness that has your best interest at heart.  Either way, getting in our own way is something that happens way too many times each and every day.

What I want to do today is show you that you need not worry about time.  You don't have to worry about much of anything.  I can say that, but alas there are many who are not convinced of this fact.  Maybe we need to review why what I have just said is true.

First things first:  your being here right now is and will always be in the perfection of the Creator of the Universe.  If you think that your being here is just random then we have even more to discuss.   God is perfection, and if you are here now then that is how it was always intended to be.  Second, if the intention was that you are here right now then you must believe there is a reason for you being here.  You must know by now that the "reason" is your destiny, your purpose.  Granted you may not have discovered this purpose yet, but rest assured it is there.  Thirdly, everything that you need to accomplish this purpose will, as the picture says, come to you in the perfect time.  Now this timing may not always be exactly as you would like it, but it will be in the perfection of Spirit.

As humans we tend to put all kinds of restrictions on time.  We have to have this done by such and such a time, or accomplished this by the time we reach a certain age.  You are never going to add one minute to your appointed time here on this planet.  You will never be able to do what is ordained in you until the appointed time.  Our role is to listen, learn, and do as we are open to the leading of Spirit.  The signs, the doors, will all be made known to you in the appropriate time, all you need to do is take action when those signs come, and when those doors are opened.  People waste so much time and energy on things that they cannot control.  You get stuck at a railroad crossing, and the seconds are ticking away.  You can sit there and get all upset, but that isn't going to speed up that train one iota.  You can watch the seasons pass by one by one, but there isn't anything you can do to stop the summer coming to an end and fall appearing right on time.  It's time that you let go of the control you want to hold on to and just let things happen as they were intended to happen.

If you can grasp this simple truth, that things will happen when they are supposed to happen, how they are supposed to happen, then you can know that you will be able to step into your destiny at the perfect time.  Honestly it is not up to you when you discover your destiny.  It will happen when it happens, all you need to do is be receptive when it does.  I have known my destiny for quite some time, but I am still waiting for it to come into its fullness, and until such time as that happens all I can do is continue to do what I do, listen, look, and recognize those things that are put in front of me to guide me.

We have so screwed things up by having to have it our way.  Well let me tell you "our" way is not always the way things should be, and the sooner you recognize this the better you will be for it.  Had I jumped into my destiny with both feet several years ago, I can guarantee that I would have screwed it up big time.  There have been so many lessons that I have learned over the last four or so years that have prepared me for what I am doing right now.  Get this concept of time out of your mind and just relax.  Time is an illusion, and you need to let go of your concepts of time, and understand that the Creator's timing is perfect, and once again everything you need will come to you in the perfection of this timing.

Two of the biggest lessons I have learned over the last few years have changed my life.  One, get rid of ego.  Two, forget about time.  If you can do these two things, and it is difficult I can assure you of that, then you will have overcome two of the biggest traps sent to derail you in this life.  The ego says I want it and I want it now.  Time, or our understanding of time, says that I have to do it now, I can't wait until I'm too old.  Remember it will happen when it needs to happen without regard to your age.  If you do not step out into your destiny until you are 80, you will still have plenty of time to accomplish what you were sent here to do with the time you have left.

When it comes down to it, you have nothing to do with the "right time".  Take your hands off of it and just let it be.  If you are stressing over the timing of something you are wasting valuable time and energy that could better spent on doing something else, like having some fun.  Quit over complicating things and start enjoying the process.  If you can get away from this strict structure of what you think time should look like, then you can free yourself from all kinds of self-imposed stressful situations.  As I have said before life is complex and making it more complex because of your lack of understanding of Spirit's perfect timing is never going to help you out.

The right time is never your call so don't worry about it.  Relax and enjoy the time you have, and see if that does not free you up and allow you to do more.  You will have what you need when you need it, it is as simple as that.  Hold on to this very important knowledge and see your life change in an instant.  Trust me, God is never going to do anything that is going to be counter productive to the plans that have been placed in you.  Have a wonderful day and enjoy the time you have.

Success, it's not what the world portrays, that's for sure.

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If I asked a thousand different people their definition of success, I would get a thousand different answers.  There would be some similarities amongst all of the answers, but in reality they would all be different.  Why should you believe my definition of success?  You shouldn't.  I mean I think I have a pretty good grasp on the concept of success, but my concept could be entirely different from yours. I know what I believe success to be, but until you are able to wrap your arms around what you believe or think, there isn't much I can say to change how you think or feel about success.

At a much younger age I thought of success much like the rest of society thinks about success.  I considered success to mean having enough money to do what ever I desired, reaching the pinnacle of my chosen profession, and otherwise looking down from my ivory tower to the rest of those who were still trying to achieve what I had already done.  Regrettably most of the surface success we see today is nothing more than a manifestation of the ego.  It is doing what ever it takes to come out on top without regard to what you have to do to get there.  Well that was then and this is now.  My views on success are almost 180 degrees from where they used to be.  My views on success somewhat mirror what Winston Churchill once said, "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."  I have failed in the past, and without fear of contradiction, it was never fun, but it was eye opening.  Even in our failures there is an element of success when you are able as Churchill says to go from one failure to another and still not give up the vision, not give up the dream, and not give up on yourself.

Success is knowing you are on the right path and it doesn't matter if occasionally you take the wrong road.  The key to success is having the determination that you will get to your desired place, and when you do, you will realize the bigger picture.  There is a reason you have a destiny.  Destiny is not as much what it does for you, as it is what it does for others.  Selflessness is a core principle when it comes to destiny.  What can I do for others to help them achieve their destiny?  This is the question I ask myself each day and each day I try to put into place plans and actions to do just that.  I was asked a question the other day about my destiny.  The question was posed more as a statement then anything else, but here's the gist of it:  would I still consider myself a success, or would I still believe I am walking in my destiny if I only sell one book, or help one person discover their destiny?  My response was immediate and concise:  yes!  It's not the numbers that count.  Numbers are a system set up by man to determine success or failure.  If I was put here on this earth to help just one person and then my task was over, then so be it.  If one is always worried about how they measure up to others then they will always be striving for success, because quite frankly there will always be someone else who has just a little bit more than you.

I write because that is who I am, a writer.  My success as a writer is in knowing that I am in the right place at the right time, and that I am following the leading of that still small voice that tells me what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.  My success as a writer is not measured against the New York Times Best Seller list, or whether or not I ever sell a million copies of any book that I have written.  These accolades may come my way but they in no way determine the measure of success that I have.  When and only when you are able to remove ego from any equation, from any aspect of what you are doing, will you ever discover the true meaning of success.

I believe that everyone has the potential to be successful.  My dreams are all about helping others achieve that success.  It matters not whether I am plastered across newspaper headlines, or magazine covers because of what I do.  Certainly that would be something to smile about, but if that never happens does that mean I have failed and am no longer considered successful?  Well not in my eyes, and to be perfectly honest, my eyes, my view of who and what I am is all that matters.  There will be those who will never be able to admit or who will never be able to be joyful over the successes of others.  Unfortunately these will be the same people who will always be striving for more and will always come up just a tad bit short.  We need to be cheerleaders for others.  Those who may sit on the sideline, but with unabashed enthusiasm rooting on those who are attempting to do something.  My desire is that those who I am able to help will go on to do greater things then I could ever have imagined even for myself.  Success is knowing that you have been a critical part in helping someone else achieve the dreams and goals they have in their own life.

So you see, success is not about me, it is really about others.  The world says to look at for number one, and that is OK if number one is every other person out there. If you are able to invest in others, then the dividends that come back to you will be more then you could ever imagine.  I give of myself so that others to may give to others.  Success in all that you do is based on knowing all that you are.  When you understand your destiny, you purpose, then you will have a success that will never be able to taken away from you.  Walking in your destiny is the ultimate definition of success.  I encourage you to think on these things.  Put away what you may have been told about success and begin to think on this new view of success.  If you can make the leap from me, me, me, to what I can do for others, then you will achieve a measure of success that others will be talking about for years to come.  I know you can make this shift, and when you do, the world will change in front of your very eyes.

It's no laughing matter! It's time to stop the madness.

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OK, what's not a laughing matter?  First, I'm glad you asked the question.  There are many things in this world that are not laughing matters.  I could go on and on about war, poverty, barbarism, genocide.  There are so many issues that face this planet, but the one I want to speak about today is much closer to home, and one that I have dedicated my life to working on.

Let me give you a little background, and after that I will share what is at the center of my existence.  It has taken me years to discover my passion.  What I am doing now is nothing I ever expected to be doing.  I was sure that I would be rich someday, but my desire to be rich was for all the wrong reasons.  I thought that if I had all the accolades, all the possessions, all the trappings of wealth, that somehow I would be someone in this world.  I was confident that I would  prove to myself that I had what it took to be the master of my domain, and that I would wield unlimited power and influence.  I had to hit rock bottom to realize that even with all the trappings of wealth I still would not have known the real me.  As I have said so many times before, if you are not good enough without anything,  you still won't be good enough with everything.  When I say good enough I am talking about your own personal realization of who and what you are.  People are not their possessions, they are not their job, or status in society.  People are first and foremost spiritual beings who just happen to be housed in this thing we call a human body.  We are born, we live, and then we die.  That is the circle of life, but life is so much more then simply being born, doing something to put food on the table and providing for others, and then departing this existence.  Life is about knowing why you were put here in the first place, and sadly too many people never figure out their purpose.

It is no laughing matter when there are countless people walking around without the slightest bit of understanding of why there are here.  It is no laughing matter when millions of people feel trapped in a life that is nothing like the one they had dreamt about as a child.  It is no laughing matter when people abdicate their rightful place in the universe simply because they have never allowed themselves to look deeper into the meaning of life and have bought what man has portrayed as truth hook, line, and sinker. No it's no laughing matter and it really is time to stop the madness.  At the core of my being is a passion for helping others come to a deeper, and lasting understanding of who they are.  I know that I could never do this had I not taken the time to discover the real Scott.  I'm not talking about the Scott who wanted to rule, who wanted to conquer, who wanted to be President of the United States.  I'm talking about the Scott who is aware of his divinity. The Scott who wants nothing more then to continue to write, speak, and share with others how they can obtain this knowledge, this understanding.  In the deepest part of your being is this same knowing, this belief that you have that says there is something more out there.

We each have the ability to discover our purpose, our destiny.  Problem is, we have allowed others to say to us what is right or what is wrong.  It is hard for me to understand how others can know what is best for me, or you for that matter, when they can't even determine what is best for them.  I have seen people give up on their dreams simply because someone decided to tell them all the reasons why they would never accomplish those dreams.  I have seen people who were so excited about finally figuring out who they were, just to let some ass tell them why they were anything but.  Raining on someone else's parade is wrong.  Simply because you have lost your umbrella and you want others to be as miserable as yourself doesn't give you the right to take away their dreams. Believe you me this happens everyday and I can't stand to see it happen.  

You may have to hold your dreams close to the cuff when they are first revealed to you, but this is wisdom.  Why take the chance of letting someone sabotage your dreams just because they are too much of a coward to go after they own dreams.  You see, it's no laughing matter when someone has lost the will to live, or the desire to move forward with their dreams.  You can stop the madness by simply not allowing others to sway you from your appointed destiny.  You can stop the madness by accepting who and what you are.  You can stop the madness by holding true to the one thing you know to be truth: a life full of peace, joy, and happiness is yours for the taking.

I've been accused of only talking, writing, or speaking about destiny.  To that I plead guilty.  In my core, at my center, I have been given a great gift, and I aim to take this gift and use it to share my vision of destiny with as many people as I am able.  My desire is stopping the madness of never doing what is truly your passion, and having to live a life that is anything but fulfilling.  Living in a world of regret, a world of missed opportunities is no laughing matter.  It is time we move ahead with what is needed and in the process change the face of society.  We can get there.  We have everything we need to live a perfect life.  All we need to do is stop the madness and embrace who we are.

What if...?

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What if left was right and right was left?  What if a,e, i,o and u were consonants and not vowels?  What if a Pineapple Upside Down Cake, wasn't really upside down?  We could play the what if game all day and night and we could still find things to wonder about.

In my wacky world I think of the "what ifs" of life and I begin to wonder what I could do with them.  What if every single person alive today and those that will come in the future, were able to walk in their destiny?  What if everyone could put ego aside and just be who they were created to be?  If this were a possibility, we could eradicate poverty, lack, and illiteracy.

There are countless things that could and would change in the world if only we began asking the "what if" question more and more and were open to what response came to us.

I often think of some of the comforts we take for granted each day and wonder what the inventors were thinking when they came up with the idea.  I suppose the Wright Brothers thought about flight.  Did they ask the question, what if we could find a way to get from the West Coast to the East Coast and not have to take a train?  Did Thomas Edison ask himself, what if we found a way to illuminate a room simply by using electricity and a few glass bulbs?

No matter what we see today, someone, somewhere has asked the "what if" question.  This question however, is not limited to just things we can invent.  This question can be asked about almost anything you can think of.  I tend to look at things in terms of destiny.  Once again, what if every single person was aware of and walking in their destiny?  You might be asking yourself "why I am content to stay in this job?"  Your neighbor down the street might be asking why his or her life seems to be stuck in neutral and thinking "what if I changed things up a bit?".

Asking the "what if" question is really the first step in a process of discovery.  You might be wondering why you feel this way or that way.  You might be thinking about what you didn't do, that you should have.  You might even be thinking about what lies ahead and wondering which path to take.  There are many people who play the "what if" game after the fact, as a way of second guessing themselves.  What if they had done this instead of that, how would things have turned out?  What I want you to start doing is asking the "what if" question but using it in a way that embraces change, that creates possibilities, and that inspires thought and action.

People ask questions each and every day.  Sometimes the questions come because we need clarification on something.  Sometimes questions come because we need to feel secure in something. Sometimes the questions come simply out of curiosity.  No matter the reason, questioning something is OK.  Now there are those who feel as though they are being attacked when they are questioned about something that they have earmarked as their own personal "mine, mine, mine".  To hell with them.  Don't ever allow someone's insecurity stop you from asking the what if question and proceeding down the path you were intended to go down.  These not so nice individuals will have to deal with their own issues sooner or later.

The main point I am trying to make today is that asking the what if question is perfectly fine, and it is in order with the Creator of the Universe.  These what if questions have come to you as a way of showing you what you should be doing.  They are clues to unlocking your passion and walking in your destiny.  What if you could be doing the one thing that would bring you complete joy and happiness?  How would this change your life?  We have been so conditioned to not rock the boat.  Don't you dare question authority.  Don't you dare think more of yourself.  These are all things that come from others who have settled for things and are unwilling to push the bounds of what is "normal".  My question is then, what is normal?  Why do we have to be reduced to a bunch of people that just roll with the punches and never ask "what if"?

The world is full of possibility and you need to begin to ask yourself what if I could.  There are countless people who have done this and they have achieved some pretty spectacular things.  The ability to do what will boggle the mind is just as much for you as anyone else.  The real achievers are the ones who are not afraid to ask "what if" and they are the ones who will move forward in those things that they are curious about.  It is time to ask the questions and time to move ahead.  Just think about it.  What if you had the answer to the question, why am I here?  This is when your life will change forever, and this will be a great change.

I had the craziest dream.

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Ever have one of those nights when you kept dreaming the same thing over and over again?  I  had one of those nights last night.  No matter what I was doing I kept coming back to this place where I was having to repeat this event over and over again.  It was mind numbing, and quite frankly frustrating as hell.

Frustration over unfulfilled dreams is what keeps many people awake at night.  This same frustration can be transferred in other ways throughout the day, and it can also manifest itself in ways that make for a very long and often sad life experience.  What I want you to think about today is why have you been unable to fulfill many of the dreams you have.  Is it because you don't believe in your dreams?  Is it because others have told you the madness behind such dreams?  Is it because you don't feel like you are worthy of having all you desire and want?

Many people have the tendency of looking at dreams and placing them in the "if I ever get to it" category.  People will focus on the here and now, and even though this is understandable, they never get to the point where they can envision many of their dreams coming to fruition.  Once again, this is when frustration raises it's ugly head, and you must know that frustration is never something that is going to make your day run smooth and be otherwise carefree.

When I was a younger man I found myself standing beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.  I literally pinched myself because I wanted to make sure that I was really awake and that my being in Paris was not just a dream.  I had dreamt of going to Paris as a young man, never really knowing when I would get there.  As I stood there it was almost surreal.  Even to this day I smile when I think of my travel there and the wonder I felt just looking at this behemoth of a structure.  I had dreamt of this moment, but nothing could have prepared me for how I truly felt in that moment.  When you finally realize some of your dreams, it will be hard to fully explain to others how you will feel or felt in the moment.  I tend to look at dreams as promises.  Promises from my creator that I will be able to do those things that really have meaning to me, and hopefully meaning to the rest of humanity.  I love it when I can look back and realize that I am now in the moment that I dreamt about in the past.

Dreams, and here is that broken record again, are stepping stones to your destiny.  The dreams that have been placed in you will ultimately lead you to your destiny, your purpose, your reason for being here.  You may not know exactly how the two pair up, but when it is all said and done, you will see the marvel at how each and every one has worked together to get you to the point or place that you were supposed to get to.

Most dreams are laced with passion.  Passion is what will keep you moving, get you up in the morning, and help you forge ahead even when situations are less than perfect.  Passion is what motivates us to take that extra step, to get up again when we have been knocked down, to not throw in the towel simply because things have gotten difficult.  Dreams and passion go together like peas and carrots, ham and eggs, Abbott and Costello.

I want you to ask yourself this simple question:  can you have a true dream without it being touched by that one thing that you are so passionate about?  I have tried to rack my brain and think of a single dream that I have about my future that is not entwined with destiny.  My passion for destiny is what I think about day in and day out.  My dreams about how to promote destiny among others is ripe with passion.  My passion is over flowing each time I dream about what I will do next, what book will I write, what group will I be talking in front of.  The two go hand in hand.  Maybe it's time that you link your destiny with those dreams that you have placed on the back burner.  I know how easy it is to discount dreams, but often we do this because we want some things so bad and yet deep within we do not see that we will ever get to the promised land.  For many it is easier to forget about the dreams in an effort to stop the pain that comes from knowing that they are not doing what they really want to do.

How many times have you been able to say " I have often dreamed about this moment"?  If you have not, then why not?  There are few things in this life that are as rewarding as fulfilled dreams, and yet we often leave our dreams on the sideline, never intending on entering the game.  Whether your dreams are crazy, or small, sane, or even larger than life, dreams are those things that you should focus on.  Dreams will lead you to your purpose, your destiny, and then you will be able to create for others an environment where they can finally walk in those things that they have dreamt about.

It's OK to dream, and it's even more OK to follow your dreams.  Following what is in your heart is why you were placed here in the first place.  Dreams become your road map to your destiny, to your path in life.  Maybe it's time that you follow them and see where they take you.

Self-discovery, it's not just a buzz word!

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So you have finally figured out that you have no idea who you really are.  This is great, and this is the real first step in discovering your unique self.  The self that was placed here on this planet.  The self that has a destiny.  The self that you were always intended to be, but somehow others have gotten you off course.  It's OK, most of us have been there, and there will be those who will still need to make this trek into the land of discovery.

However, you are well on your way, so I applaud your efforts and now lets take it one step further.  The process of self-discovery is different for every person.  It is sometimes laced with harbingers of well meaning, however one-sided opinions of what you should be like.  The process of self-discovery is never about what others think, but ultimately what you know deep in your core.

I have seen people who play around with self-discovery as if it were the flavor of the week.  One day they are like this, the next they are like that.  They are tossed and spun around in circles until they can't decipher what's up or down, left or right.  Most people who have not made the discovery of who they are tend to get whipped around and around until their own head is spinning at such a rate that they simply give up, call it a day, and just let life move past them.  If you truly desire to figure out who you are, then you are going to have to take hold of the reins, forget about what others have told you, and focus, focus, focus.

Anthony Paul Moo-Young, also known as Mooji, once said this, "Step into the fire of self-discovery.  This fire will not burn you, it will only burn what you are not." Self-discovery allows you to drop the phony fronts you have lived with for what seems like eternity.  It will allow you to be the person you were always destined to be, doing those things that you were always destined to do.

When I was much younger I was an egomaniac.  I was so stuck-up, pompous, and arrogant, it is a wonder I ever survived this long.  I would create scenarios in my mind and they became so real that even I could not tell what was real and what was make believe.  I did all this because I wanted to fit in.  I wanted to be wanted.  I wanted to be admired.  I just wanted to be more then I was, because quite frankly I didn't like who I was.  I didn't like who I was because I had no clue who I was.  I was so caught up in having this, or obtaining that, that nothing else mattered.  If I wasn't driving the nicest car, or wearing the nicest clothes, then I was somehow "less" in the eyes of those around me.  What I discovered is that even with having the nicest things, I was still empty, still lonely, and still without a purpose for my life.  You can fill the coffers with all manner of stuff, but at the end of the day, it will never add up to anything of worth.

Self-discovery is the only thing that will loose the henchman's noose around your neck and allow you to be free from those things that have kept you from discovering and walking in your destiny.  Self-discovery is the only thing that will allow you to define who you really are.  As Brennan Manning says everything else is simply an illusion.  What you display may be what you want others to see, but until such time as you discover who you really are, it is still an illusion and illusions are never real.  If we can get to the point where we don't care what others think, were we don't change who we are just to fit it, were we can be our true, unique self, then you will have finally begun the process of self-discovery.

I will tell you this my lovelies, when you finally get to the point where you have had enough of being who you are not, then and only then will you step into the realm of self-discovery.  When the weight and pressure of keeping up a persona that is not you begins to take its toll on you, then you will step into the realm of self-discovery.  Trust me, being free to be free, is what eliminates almost 95 percent of the stress in your life.  When you are constantly expending energy to keep up a phony facade then you are wasting all that energy that could be used for something else.

You are a divine being.  Within your divinity is the real you.  It is the person that was intended, and it is the person that you will discover.  Illusions of the past will fall away, and you will understand the reason you are here, and you will walk in your destiny.  I can talk about destiny all day long, but until such time as you disengage from the images of the past, images you created out of a need to fit in, you will never discover your purpose.  Discovering your uniqueness, accepting your uniqueness, and walking in your uniqueness is why you are here.  If you feel as thought you are just like everyone else, destined to be chained to a job you hate, only having enough money to get by, wishing things were better then they are, then you have not discovered your true self.  You have allowed others to define you, and you are now trapped in their desires for you.  Your desire needs to be discovering your own way.  Your path to self-discovery begins with a knowledge that you are worthy of knowing who you are.  Lay the ax to that root that has kept you locked in step with the rest of society and tell those who want to keep you down to pound sand.

Yes it is time to take a journey into the realm of self-discovery, but like any journey you undertake, it is not recommended that you go it alone. Reach out to others who have made this journey and allow them to help you navigate the path.  Trust me, when you finally discover the real you, then you will never ever have to play make believe again.  You will never want to be something you are not.  You will want to help others make this same discovery.  It is time to know the real you, so that others can see what a real person is like.  I wish you well on your journey.

Up, up, and away in my beautiful balloon.

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Ever look at things from a different vantage point?  Ever wish you could see things from a different perspective?  Do you even care to see things differently, or are you stuck in a place where it really doesn't matter to you?

Today is your opportunity to begin to see things a little differently, and in doing so change things up, which by the way isn't such a bad thing from time to time.

If you continually look at things from where you are, and not from where you want to be, you are never going to move forward in those things you hold so close to your heart.  When I was flying in the Air Force I would take off in a KC-135 and my vantage point was from the cockpit.  It was totally different when I was a passenger on a  commercial flight and I would only see things from the side of the plane.  I will tell you taking off and looking straight ahead into the Wild Blue Yonder vice just the side of the plane is totally different.  If you were to go up in a hot air balloon your view of the surrounding area would be quite different from just being on the ground and thinking about what things would look like from two or three thousand feet above the ground.

I want you to see yourself from a different perspective today.  Different from your past, different from your current situation.  I want you to think about all the things you would like to accomplish and maybe for the first time believe that you can accomplish them, but act as thought what you want and desire is already here.  This kind of thought process is not something that many people can grasp and yet these are the same people who are stuck in a rut, never moving forward in those things they desire.  If you are unable to see yourself doing what you desire, it is a good bet you will never get there.  Your new perspective must be "I am there" and not "When I get there".  If you are waiting until you get somewhere to experience it, you will never get there and you will never experience it.  This may sound like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but the Law of Attraction, the need to set the intention, is anything but mumbo jumbo.  Setting the intention, believing that it is done, is the only way we will ever walk in our destiny.

I have spent hour on top of hour lately reflecting on the whole topic of intention.  I have had to redefine myself, and instead of believing what others have said, believe what I now know to be true: that being I am a divine creation and I am empowered by my creator to do some pretty incredible things.  We have allowed our fellow man to dictate what we believe.  We have allowed our fellow man to form us into their image, and not the image that was intended the moment we were created.  We have allowed our fellow man to tell us what we should see, how we should react to it, and how we should feel.  Well my lovelies, it's time to tell these well intentioned beings that you will no longer be subject to their demands.   You are you, you will be you, and you will hold true to the greatness that has been placed in you.

Yes it is time to see things from a different perspective.  It is time to shed the thoughts of the past and move into the future.  We fail at things because we have yet to believe we deserve to succeed.  Many people have allowed the words spoken to freeze them in their own tracks, incapable of moving forward in those things that they were always intended to move forward in.  Your new perspective must be one where you see the greatness in you, and the impact you will have on the rest of humanity.  There will be those who will poo poo on the idea of destiny.  Just because you don't or can't t see your destiny doesn't mean you don't have one.  Simply because you turn your back on your destiny does not make it go away.

Please take some time to reflect on who you are.  The you that you know, and not the you that others have created.  The freedom to be who you were created to be is a freedom that can never be taken away from you.  You are the only one who can stop you from being your authentic self.  This is a time to throw away all the thoughts of doubt, thoughts of failure, and set the intention that you will walk in your destiny.  Your new perspective is not new at all.  This perspective was placed in you the moment you were created and it has never changed.  We may have let others try to alter it, but who you are has never changed.  Your perspective must be unaltered by man.  It must be real to you, and you must accept one simple fact:  you are here to stay, and you will achieve those things that you were created to achieve.

I was once lost, but now I am found.  I discovered the reason I am here, and you will have this same discovery if you will open yourself up to seeing things in a different perspective.  The future is bright if you will toss away the darkness of the past.  Let's be honest:  are you truly happy being or doing what you are right now?  Is there something you know you should be doing?  Take that leap of faith and begin to walk toward the light of your destiny.  Your destiny will help others change their perspective and they in turn will help others as well.  Open your eyes to what is, and not what has been.  Change your perspective and change your life.  You will never regret it, I guarantee you that.

Relax, breath, and know.

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Knowing is something many people struggle with.  Knowing that tomorrow will bring new opportunity.  Knowing that everything will eventually turn out all right.  Knowing that you will accomplish your dreams.  Knowing that you are in the right place doing what you were placed here to do.  Once you get to the place where you know that you know, then the whole world takes on a new appearance, a new perspective, and you begin to live the life you have always dreamt about.

However, it is damned difficult sometimes to be in this place of knowing.  It's not that you don't want to know, it's not that you don't have the ability to know, and it's not even that you have forgotten what you don't know.  In reality it's simply that you have yet to grasp the concept of who you are.  Herein lies the one thing that stops people in their own tracks.  Herein lies the reason most people fail at their dreams, and herein lies the reason why people give up and head in a different direction:  they simply have stopped believing.

They do not believe that good things are just as much for them as for anyone else.  They have stopped expecting good fortune to tap them on the shoulder and offer assistance.  Today I want to show you that you are just as deserving, just as worthy, and just as special, as anyone else, and if they can have the blessings of this world, then so can you.  If happiness, peace, and joy have been absent in your life up to this point, then this will be the day that you regain those things that were intended for you, but for whatever reason you have been unable to grasp.

It is time to relax, take a deep breath and know that you are in the right place at the right time, and nothing that has transpired to date has been for nought.  Many experiences may have been painful and hurtful, but even those things that have caused us pain, have taught us something.  What I desire for you today is for you to begin to fully understand, or at least begin to accept that you are, as I have said so many times in the past, a divine creation.  Within this divinity of yours is the same divinity which emanates from that which created you.  You inability to see this stems from the years and years of conditioning that mankind has placed upon you.  I don't doubt that many people who have spoken untruths about man's true essence had good intentions, but even good intentions can be wrong.  We have allowed ourselves to believe in things that simply are not true, and quite literally have sidetracked too many individuals from ever taking their rightful place in this world.

If failure was the death nail, then I would have been gone long ago.  Failure is nothing more than being given another opportunity to do something right.  It is giving you another chance to do it better, or do it where it will truly change the lives of others, which should be the motivation in all that we do anyway.  You only fail when you give up on your dreams and simply turn your back on them and never give them thought again.  As Kathy Witten says, "Your dream doesn't have an expiration date." Failure to realize that you deserve to walk in your dreams is nothing more than a lack of realization that you are worthy of walking in those things that would truly make you happy.

I have been talking about you, the real you for the last few days.  I have tried to paint for you a picture of who you really are, and not necessarily how you see yourself, or how the world has depicted you in the past.  Failure to understand the greatness of your design, the perfection of your creation, and the reason you have been placed here, is what sidetracks most people from ever walking in their destiny.  If you give up on your dreams, which are the stepping stones to your destiny, then you will never get to point where you fully understand why you were placed here in the first place.  Now let me say this:  if you don't care to find out why you were put here, then there is no reason for you to worry about anything, because there is nothing that I can say or write that will make you think otherwise.  I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, but that is because there will always be this little something that will be eating away at you until the time of your last breath, and that little thing will be the wondering of what could have been.

It is time to relax, take that deep breath, and know that you are on the right track, you are just where you need to be, and your destiny will make itself known to you.  Your presence in this moment is all the proof you will ever need to understand that your being here right now is not a mistake.  Your presence here right now should be the one thing that puts a smile on your face because were it not for you being here, then you would have no destiny.  Knowing your purpose, knowing your destiny will come in time, if it hasn't been disclosed to you already.  Once you know your purpose then there will be a newness to you, and all those things that used to get you bogged down in life will seem to fall to the wayside and things will get a little easier.  Find your center, discover the real you, and allow yourself the chance to take a deep breath and accept the fact that things will be as they need to be.  You will never change your purpose, so you might as well take some time to discover it and accept it.  Trust me, walking away from your purpose is not wisdom.  Walking in your purpose may not always be easy, but the ups and downs you may experience will never compare to the downright awfulness of walking away from your destiny.  So relax, take a deep breath, and know that there is order in the universe and you will be where you need to be when you need to be there.

To each its own. In other words, does it really matter?

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Does it really matter what the person in the other cubicle thinks about you?  Does it really matter if you walk to the beat of a different drum?  Does it really matter?

In a perfect world the answer would be no.  Regrettably we do not live in a perfect world, at least perfect when it comes to the actions of man.  I still believe and will always believe that what the Creator has put together is perfect, unfortunately man has had man's hand in things and mucked it up quite a bit.  That being said, in my perfect world I could care less whether everyone loves me, likes me, or even wants to tolerate me.  I live my authentic self and today I want you to begin to love and live your authentic self.

What do I mean by being authentic?  Let me use an illustration and I hope you will understand the points I am trying to make this morning.  I have recently been doing a renovation to the home I am living in.  It was in dire need of some restoration and I was ready to tackle the project.  I wanted to bring back the charm of this old house, but I knew that most of what was here at one time was no longer available so I would have to make things up as I went along.  Long story short, the house is just about complete on the inside and it looks quite period.  As close as it looks to being original I know it is not.  Why?  Because I had to fabricate much of what was placed into the new "Old" style.  It looks real, but I know it is not.  It is a fabrication, a good fabrication, but not original.  I saved what I could of all the original parts as I was going through the renovation, but sadly some things had to change.

Being your authentic self is being the person you were intended to be when you were created, detached from all other expectations that man has thrown on you over the years.  Authenticity is when you don't give a rat's ass what others say you should do, what you should be like, or otherwise fill their mold of what they think your life should be filled with.  Authenticity is when a thousand horses could not sway you from your chosen path, and there is a knowing inside that you are exactly how you should be, doing the things you know you should be doing.  Authenticity is when you could care less what others think, and you focus on what you know.

If you have allowed others to dictate how you should act, how you should look, what you should be doing for a profession, you might be happy for a while.  You might even experience moments of happiness and success, but deep within the deepest part of your being you will know that you have not been true to your self, and that my friends will eventually drive you mad.  I tried for years to be every thing to every person.  I would set my own desires to the back of the stove and if I was lucky some day I would be able to pick them up again.  I would change my words to correspond with what I thought people expected of me.  I would change how I looked, how I dressed, and how I acted in an attempt to fit in.  In the end I finally had to make the decision to be true to my authentic self and find the happiness that had eluded me for years and years.

Oprah says that had she known about being authentic she would have done it years ago.  Now Oprah is a very successful business women and is quite rich.  But my guess is that rich in this example is not speaking only about dollars and cents, but also rich in knowing that she is walking in her destiny and doing those things that she was created to do.  I do not look at riches and think about all the millions that I have, I look at riches as being able to write, speak, and share about destiny.

Here's the best part of being authentic:  you have the opportunity to be yourself.  You can drop all the demands that others put on you.  You can forget about having to fit a part.  You can simply be who you are.  How much energy do you use each day trying to fit the mold of what others feel you should be?  If you could have all that energy back and place it where it should be, how much more could you accomplish?  Being your authentic self frees you from the expectations of others and in this freedom you will discover just how great life is.  You will feel as though the weight of the world has fallen off of your shoulders and you can finally do what is in your heart to do.

It is time to find your center.  It is time to say "to each its own" and forget about filling a mold that was never designed for you.  You have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, and that is never going to be the fit you are looking for.  It may go in the slot, but it is far from being perfect, and if you allow your perfection to be tainted by what others demand of you, by what others think or say about you, or by what others desire from you, then you will never walk in your perfection.  I love being me, and if others want to find fault with anything I do, or try to find fault with who I am, I will allow them to take that up with the Creator of the Universe.  My guess is they will not win that argument.

Authenticity is who and what you are.  There will never be another you, designed to do what only you can do.  Being your authentic self will bring you freedom, and in this freedom you will experience the things that dreams are made of.  Isn't it time you shed off the expectations of others and simply be you?  It is liberating.  It is exciting.  It is all yours if you will just be authentic.  Just be yourself and watch as doors are opened, opportunity arises, and happiness follows you each day.

There's never been a better time to be you.

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It's never about what someone else wants me to be, it's only about who I am, and what I want to be.  Keep telling yourself this and sooner or later you may actually believe it, or better yet you may actually start living it.

We have been bombarded with images of what others think people should be like.  We are told to shape up or ship out, as if who we really are is not good enough for the situation we find ourselves in.  We have been encouraged to tow the line because anything else would be uncivilized.  It seems to me that life has become a series of what we can't be, what we can't do as opposed to being your authentic self and to hell with what the rest of the world says you should be.

It amazes me that people are so ready to provide you with their definition of who you should be and they don't even know the real you, let alone who they are.   It also amazes me that others feel they know me better than I know myself.  I guess maybe they have walked enough in my shoes to be able to make better choices than I could.  Now I don't discount the fact that most people who give out advice, actually believe they are doing others a favor by sharing their great wisdom.  What I do doubt is someone who wants to tell me about me and they haven't the foggiest notion of why they are here on this planet.  Do yourself a favor and hit the delete button when you run into these characters, and for goodness sake don't let them take you down that rat hole that they have been living in for years.

You were created with certain personality characteristics that are matched perfectly for your destiny.  I have seen so many people try to change those characteristics, when in actuality, the personality they have was placed in them for one reason and one reason only:  to aid them in discovering and ultimately walking in their destiny.  Granted your personality may not always mix well with others you come in contact with, but that is their issue not yours.  When I see a strong willed person I can understand that they most likely will need this assertiveness to accomplish those things they have been placed here to do.  To the person who is as nurturing as Mother Theresa, there are things that they will do that may not make sense, at least make sense to those who are closed off to love and understanding.  The bottom line is you do not have to be anything that you do not feel inside of you is correct.  Trust me, if you have trained yourself to listen to your heart, your spirit, you will know when someone is telling you something that is way out in left field, and you had better just discount it and move on.  Not listening to some well meaning person is not a sign of disrespect, it is a sign of maturity.  Now don't go and get up in their face and call them an idiot for saying something, but by all means if it doesn't go along with who you know yourself to be, then simply hit the delete button once again and move on.

How great would life be if you could just be the person you know yourself to be?  That person who is not afraid to stick up for what they believe in, and not afraid of what others think about them.  I could care less what people think of me.  If you asked a thousand people what they thought of me, you would get a thousand different replies.  It is time to be yourself.  It is time to throw away the white flag of surrender and decide not to be controlled by what others think or say.  Your ability to turn off others control of your life may not be easy at first, but I assure you that after a while you will be a professional at it, and it will come to you as easy as sipping your morning Cup of Joe.

I know there are people out there who will say to me, "What if I don't know who I am?".  Well this is your opportunity to turn off the TV, get alone without any distractions, and quietly mediate on what you know to be truth.  You must know that you were created from love.  You must know that there are things you would love to be doing, things that you are passionate about.  You must know that you were put here for a reason.  Take a few moments and try to grasp all of this.  The simplest things often confuse and confound the wise.  We try to make our understanding of our creator as something that only someone who has gone to seminary for a hundred years would be able to understand.  Understanding the nature of God is so simple when you understand that God's nature is probably pretty close to your own nature, minus some of the garbage that man has told you that you need to pack along for the ride.

My dear ones, it is time to realize that now is your time.  It is time to understand who you are.  Once again, there has never been a better time to be just you.  Your funny laugh, the way you enter a room, and the crazy funny things you do, in an effort to get others to focus on the good and not the bad.  You were created to be unique.  You were created to be great.  You were created to be the person you are right now.  Free yourself from other's expectations, and look deep into your heart for the true meaning of being just you.  You will never fill another man's shoes.  You will never be able to be someone you're not.  Your intention should be to be the best you that you can be.  When you escape the expectations of others, then you have escaped the chains that have kept countless people bound up for years and years.  Freedom from expectations is your reward for knowing that you have all that you will ever need to be the person you were created to be.

You are so beautiful and yet you have allowed people to tell you, you are not.  You are so talented, and you have let others talk you out of it.  You are so unique and you have allowed others make you feel ashamed of who you are.  You are the person you were intended to be and I am damn proud to know each of you.  I long for the day when you will let me know your victories.  It is your victories that I will share with others so they can experience the same joy you have experienced by accepting your destiny and walking in it.  Oh yes it is a great day to be you.  Share this joy with others and help them discover the greatness that resides in them.  Do it because you know it is in you to do, not just because I told you so.  Now get out there and change some lives.

Never go it alone, never ever!!

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Many hands make light work.  I heard this saying many years ago, but in truth never really put two and two together until a few years ago how important this phrase would turn out to be in my life.

If you're like most people, and I will include myself in this category, we have been taught that if it's worth having it's worth working for.  Regrettably we've also been taught that the real strength of a person is how they tackle the hard issues in life.  In tackling these issues somehow there has been a disconnect in as much as we try to do it all alone without the assistance of others.  This happens when we feel as though what ever victory we might experience is somehow diminished if someone else was around giving us a hand.  First, that is crap with a capital C.  Second, and you have all heard me say this before, this journey we call life should never be tackled alone and if you do then you are dumber that dog poop.  Trying to keep it clean for those younger ones who might be reading this.  My point is this:  stop being an idiot and invite others to share in your adventures.  Certainly they may only be there as observers, but at the same time, they may also be able to add something to the equation and make what is required to be done a whole lot more enjoyable in the process.

I have a very small, very select group of people who I go to when I need advice.  Now I have lots of acquaintances, but only a small cadre of those who I really go to when things are less than perfect. It's not that I don't like people around me, but I choose to share with those who are of like mind.  I do not need people around me who are going to prove contrary to what I am trying to accomplish.  At the same time I need those who are in my inner circle to understand that I need, want, and expect their total honesty when they give me advice.  I don't need a bunch of yes people who try to tell me those things that they think I want to hear.  I want to know where the bear craps in the woods and I definitely don't need things sugar coated.  I have no ego to bruise so I want them to be frank and honest with me in every conversation we have.  I have large visions and dreams, and I know that those people who I have entrusted with my visions and dreams share each of them, and have taken ownership of them as well.  The people you bring into your inner circle must do the same for you or quite frankly you are wasting your time with them.  Certainly they can still be friends, but confidants, I think not.  Why would you want to surround yourself with people who are only going to tell you what you want to hear, people who will only say things so that you can feel good about yourself?   Once again this is a load of crap, and if you go around stepping in crap all day long it won't take long for people to keep their distance from you.

There was a time when I could not stand having anyone help me in any manner.  My thoughts were that this would take away from what I was going to be recognized for.  Today, well lets just say that I will give credit where credit is due, and I hope that there are more people receiving credit for what gets done then me.  I cannot accomplish the things that I desire to accomplish by myself, nor do I desire to do it all myself.  It's not that I am not able to do it all, I simply don't want to.  I want to bring those around me to a place where their part in my dreams and visions will be the stepping stones they need to accomplish their own dreams and visions.  I am more than happy to stand in the wings and let others reap the glory for what gets done.  My focus is on getting the message out about destiny and seeing as many people as possible step out in their destiny.  If others around me in our organization are recognized for this, does it really matter?  If my focus is on destiny, then should I really care who gets the credit for helping others discover their destiny?  I will take any assistance in getting out my story, so if you are reading this and desire to help, please, please, please get a hold of me and let me know.  I will gladly take you up on your offer of assistance.

We are stronger when we work together.  There is a passage in the Bible that says a cord of three stands is not easily broken.  The more people you have working with you on your journey the greater the likelihood you will succeed.  Don't misunderstand, I am not saying that you will fail if you do it yourself, but why not let many hands make light work?  Why not bring others along on your journey and in doing so you are helping them step closer to their destiny.  Seems to me that this is a win-win proposition, and one that I would think on long and hard.  I often think of those people who have tried to do everything themselves.  You know the type, if they don't do it, it won't get done.  If they don't do it, then it won't get done right.  If you think like this then you suck as a manager type person.  Get off your high horse and realize that they is power in numbers and if you are willing to give credit when credit is due, then you will have an endless number of people who will be standing in line just waiting to have the chance to help you out.

Remember, your destiny is not about what glory comes to you, but rather the glory you send out to the rest of humanity.  One who truly understands their destiny is not going to be worried about who gets the glory.  If you are concerned about getting all the credit, then I would wonder if you really understand what your purpose is and even more important if you will ever walk in it.  Let those who desire to be a voice, be a voice to you.  Let those who desire to help you, help you.  If you have groupies who want to be everywhere you are, let them.  Obviously they see something in you, and I suspect that something is something they need.  Life is a journey and there is no reason what so ever to go it alone.  Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.