It's that time of year, are you ready?

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How we got to this place, this time, is simply amazing to me. How did 2016 go by so fast?  I know that with each passing year, each year seems to go faster and faster, but this was ridunkulous!!  Hey it's OK, the faster time goes, or at least our perception of the speed of time, the faster we are able to do and be in the place we were always intended to be.

As we count down the remaining days, hours, and minutes of 2016 I always like to look back a little, but primarily I love looking ahead, and with a new invigorated hope, look to 2017 for what it will bring to not only myself, but to the rest of those I call friends, family, acquaintances, and loved ones.  

If you were like me, 2016 was a learning year.  I learned much more about myself then I had even planned at the beginning of the year.  Not all the lessons were fun, but at the same time, not every lesson was a total downer.  I was forced to learn more patience, and at times I was amazed where the patience came from, but it did, it was good, and I am a little better for having gone through some of the things I went through.  What things did you learn this year?  What lessons will you carry over into the new year, and will you finally grab the golden ring and do what you have always desired to do?
These are the questions we asked ourselves each year at this time, and sadly these are some of the questions that go unanswered for most of the upcoming year.  Why not try something new this year and make that effort to go where you may never have gone before.  Why not answer some of those lingering questions that you have run away from.

The New Year is the best time to begin new things.  It's like cleaning our the refrigerator.  You put it off until there are no more containers left in the pantry to put additional left overs in, so you empty out all the old ones, and you simply begin again.  Certainly there will be some things that we carry over from year to year, but this is the perfect time to start fresh.  This is the perfect time to throw caution to the wind and simply jump into the deep end and swim for all you're worth.  This is a great time to sweep away those things that no longer serve you, and maybe just maybe put what you need ahead of others.  Getting what you need is not selfish.   Getting what you need is simply allowing things to come to you that you need, you want, and quite frankly may have been waiting for for some time now.

I don't know many people who look at the New Year and the first thing that comes into their mind is the dread that followed them the previous year.  Most people look at this moment in time as a time of hope, a time of dreaming, and a time to release the old and pick up the new.  I may be repeating myself, but the New Year is a time of hope and promise.  It is that moment where everything seems possible, and those things that may have been just out of reach for you somehow appear to be just a bit closer and more obtainable.

I learned a lot in 2016.  I'm looking forward to what I learn in 2017.  Here's my suggestion for you, and you of course can choose to do it, or you can choose not to.  I simply want you to think about it.  If you choose to heed my advice, well then, good on you.  If on the other hand you decide to go it alone, I still wish you the very best.  I suggest that you take a moment to reflect on 2016, but only a moment, and then make the decision to step out of your comfort zone and do something really outrageous.  Now being outrageous is different for everyone.  What I mean is you simply do something that some people just might never expect you to do.  If you have always had long hair, maybe it's time to shorten it up.  If you have always been just a vanilla or chocolate type of person, maybe it's time to throw in some sprinkles.  What I'm saying is this:  you control what you do, and maybe it's time you stop doing what others expect of you and simply do what you want to do.

Too many people have spent their lives doing what others wanted them to do, or what they thought was expected of them.  All this has done is make for a very unrewarding life, and a life where you are constantly asking yourself the "what if" question.  So let me ask you this:  what if you decided to do what was in your heart this year?  What if you decided to be who you really are and forget about being the person others expect you to be?  What if you simply started enjoying Life and doing a few things that truly make you happy?

This is what the New Year is all about.  It is your time to dream, your time to do, and your time to simply look ahead with hope.  We may not know everything that is going to happen in the upcoming year, but that shouldn't matter.  There will be those who accomplish all they desire, and there will be others who will sit back and when 2017 is over wonder where the time went, and how they managed to do absolutely nothing.  2017 is going to be what you make it.  Your thoughts, your feelings, your words, and your actions are going to be the driving force behind what you experience in the upcoming year.  I suggest you put out good thoughts, good vibes, and set the intention that this year is going to be like no other.  Once again if you can think it, you can believe it, and if you believe it, you can pretty much bet it is going to be yours.  Have a great 2017 and I am so thrilled to be entering into a new period and you should be too.

Is death the end, or just the beginning?

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It's the ageless question:  is there life after death, and if there is, what's on the other side? I lost my last remaining grandparent yesterday with the passing of my maternal grandmother. She lived a very good life for nearly 100 years, and I'm quite sure that many lives were touched during her time on this planet.  Part of me is saddened that I will never be able to see her face again, but there is also a part of me who realizes that the core of her being, her spirit, is what will live on for eternity.

When I began my journey of enlightenment I was like most people, fearful of death, and often would wonder what was on the other side.  Now there are many who will latch on to the concept of heaven and hell, but that's not what I want to talk about today. You have the right to believe anything you desire, after all it is a free world.  What I want to talk about is the concept of spirit, and what it means to each of us, or better put, what it should mean to us.

When I got the call yesterday evening about my grandmother the first thing that came into my mind was the simple fact that her spirit is no different now then it was 24 hours prior, or 24 minutes, or even 24 seconds.  Her spirit was still very much alive, and anything I could have gained from her while she was on this earth, is what I can still gain from her today.  We've been conditioned to believe we are mere mortals who might occasionally have a spiritual experience, while the truth of the matter is this:  we are first and foremost spiritual beings.  Although my grandmother is no longer alive, that portion that most people associate life to, her real presence, is just as present today as it was yesterday, or the day before that.  There are those who might think me heartless or cold because I can't be unhappy in this moment of loss.  In actuality I haven't lost anything really because my belief is that she is still very much present in my life.  The best part of all of it is now she has the ability to be by my side anytime she wants, or I want, and we are no longer separated by 3000 miles.

The sting of death will ultimately touch everyone at some point in time.  People will handle this loss differently because each situation is different.  Death can come in may ways and I dare say that few people alive today have not given thought to death and how it might effect those around them.  Movies have been made, books have been written about those who come back to see what others thought of them while they were on this earth.  Did they touch another life, did they bring change to the world, or did they simply take up space?  I think everyone is a little curious about how they are perceived or how they are thought about.  I was having a conversation with a friend the other night and we somehow got on the topic of death and what we wanted done at our own funeral.  I've always wanted to know that I touched people's lives in a way that I brought about change to them, change that allowed them to realize and walk in their destiny.  I've never really been motivated by money and whether I leave an estate worth millions, or leave with nothing, money has never been the motivation behind what I do.  If I do have a grave stone, the only thing I want on it is "He was a friend".  I think we have a golden opportunity to walk in spiritual things while we are still breathing, and in doing so we will have a glimpse of what our existence will be like when we leave this earthly plane.

Death is not the end of a journey, but a new beginning.  Your spirit has been around since the beginning of time, and it will be around until the end of time.  We've been taught, as little children, that heaven is the place you go when you die, and that you will be in heaven forever.  What people have failed to realize is that forever is not just from this moment in time forward, but from this moment in time backwards as well.  Forever is infinite, just as your spirit is infinite.  If you believe that you have a spirit, or as some call it a soul, then you are infinite.  I know it's a hard concept to grasp, but simply because you may not be aware of your awesomeness, doesn't mean you aren't.  We must come to terms with our true essence, our true being.  Until such time as you know the true you, then death will always be something you either fear or something you try to cheat.

If I were to leave this body tomorrow I would leave knowing that the real me is still very real, still very present, and fortunate enough to be moving on to another adventure.  Truth be told I'm kind of envious of my grandmother because she is now free to move about without all the limitations that we mere mortals have been forced to live with all these years.

Grandma I love you.  I thank you for all you did for me while we were together and I am blessed to have had you in my life for as long as I did.  You are now free to walk amongst the Angels and you are now free to spread love to the rest of the universe.  I can feel your presence and it is as real now as it was before.

Ladies and Gentlemen get in touch with your own Spirit and live now just like you will be leaving for eternity when it is time for you to transition.  Your spirit is a work of love, formed from love, and meant for love.  Touch it now, and share it with the rest of the world.  Let's face it, the world needs love and it needs it now and in unlimited measure.  Death is not the end, it is just the beginning.

In loving memory of Mary Cervantes.

A New Direction: why changing something up is sometimes the best option.

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For many people, stepping outside of the norm, is like asking them to cut off their arm.  It's always been done a certain way, and change is not something that even remotely interest them.  We've all been around these people, and often wonder what's the big deal.  What's wrong with changing things up from time to time?  What's wrong with going against the established way of doing things, especially when you know you have a better way?  Say what you want but being the one who is upsetting the apple cart is never going to earn you warm reviews that is for sure, but it will put you where you need to be.

I've been stuck lately and let me tell you that's no place I want to be for very long, but unfortunately it's a place I find myself in from time to time.  I might decided to go one way one day and then completely change direction the day after next.  Believe it or not it's absolutely fine to change up things from time to time.  If nothing else it sure does make life interesting.  What I want you to take away today is that changing direction, deciding to do something different, or simply taking a step back to review where you have been and where you want to go is perfectly fine.  We are not a culture who has to be in lock step with everyone else.  We are as individual as each different snowflake and because of that we are all going to do things a little differently from time to time.  The key is to accept people's differences and be open to the possibility that you may have to change direction at least once or twice in your lifetime.

I spent a career in the United States Air Force traveling around the world, never staying in one place for a long period of time. Because of this I have what you call "wanderlust".  That crazy notion that things need to change and I need a change of scenery every so often.  I have fought the wanderlust for many years and have been in my adopted home state of Maine for almost thirty years.  That being said I am seriously thinking about pulling up stakes and trying a different part of the planet to live.  Every now and again a change of scenery is called for and if nothing else it will give you a different perspective, and that new perspective is sometimes the best thing that can happen to you.

I have talked to many people who feel that changing direction is changing destiny.  That somehow if you deviate from your path you are going to forfeit what is yours.  Destiny is destiny and there isn't a whole lot you can do to change that.  The scenery may change, the seasons may come and go, but rest assured your destiny is never going to morph into anything other then what it is supposed to be.  So let me repeat, simply changing where you live is not going to alter your destiny. How do you know if making a change is not exactly what the universe has in mind for you?  Just think about that for a minute.

There are so many people stuck in a rut.  There is almost zero chance they will ever change up what they do from day to day.  Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat.  Now if that is not simply mind numbing I don't know what it.  Life is an adventure and as such you should be seeking adventure in whatever it is you are doing.  Even if your life has been marginalized by others you still have the option of doing something daring and out of the norm.  What do you care what others might be thinking, it's your life and not theirs.  Take a step on the wild side for once in your life and see if your perspective on things doesn't change a bit.  There are so many people who walk around with blinders on.  Sure you can see what is right in front of you, but the vast majority of what is important are those things that are happening all around you.  Take the blinders off and see what you have been missing.  I get how fearful change can be, but change never killed anyone, not really that is, and change is what brings different perspectives to your situation.  Face it, if you have been sitting around for years waiting for you ship to come in, chances are that ship has sailed and you will be waiting till hell freezes over.  Get off you butt and do something different.  Go in a different direction and if in the process you freak some people out because they never saw it coming, well good on you.

Don't allow fear to stop you in your tracks.  Don't allow the naysayers to keep you where you have always been simply because it has kept them company for these many years.  Get your feet moving and when the dust settles, which it will, what you see in front of you will simply be breath taking.  There is something so wonderful when you wake up in a new place.  There seems to be endless possibilities when you dare to go off the original path and plot a different path.

Changing the way you do things, changing the way you look at things, and ultimately changing direction is often the most daring thing you will ever do, but it will also be the most life changing thing you could ever do.  There are many phases of life, but one thing that will never change is the simple fact that phases bring change, and change is what makes the world go round.  Don't be afraid to zig when others are zagging.  Don't let others make you go left when you really should go right.  If you change things up, then you slowly begin to change the world.  In the long run, that's a pretty good thing.

If I had just a little more time I would....

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What would you do if you had a little more time?  What would you do if you figured out exactly when time was going to end for you?  What would you do if you had to do it all over again?

If you are like most people each of us have answered these questions in the past.  Now maybe you didn't answer all of them, and maybe you are like me and have answered them numerous times, and each time with a different answer.  What I want you to take with you today is a way of looking at life, but looking at it because you are fully engaged with it and not simply looking at it from the sidelines.

I saw this quote from Mr. Franklin and it pretty much cut me to the quick.  It's not that I have an issue with sitting around doing nothing.  My problem is that I get so busy doing things, that the one thing I should be concentrating on is the one thing that seems to sit on the back burner.  I know I'm not alone in this area, but there is hope for us.  There is no doubt that sitting around doing nothing is never going to get you to the point you either want to be or to the point you should be.  Sitting around doing nothing is never going to give you a sense of accomplishment nor will you go to bed with that "I rocked this day"  feeling.  I will tell you that those days that I simply do nothing, where I veg out and refuse to engage in any real activity, are the days where I am left feeling pretty lousy.

Most people who are just sitting around doing nothing are not doing so because they want to waste time, rather they are still trying to figure things out.  You can get wrapped around the wagon wheel and then all forward momentum stops.  I've been dogged by this for years.  I have things I really want to do, but for the life of me I can't seem to figure out how to get where I want to be, nor am I able to figure out how to get started.  The end result is that there are no real results to speak of.  Now sitting around trying to figure things out is not the end of the world.  I can assure you that there are  plenty of people out there who will tell you that things would have been much better for them had they taken a little extra time to think things out instead of just running into something with absolutely no idea of what they were doing.  The whole key to what I am talking about is not just sitting around waiting for the world to fall into you lap.  There may be a few lucky people out there who have been able to experience the miracle of things just lining up perfectly and they getting what is their deepest desire.  The vast majority of people do not fall into this category, albeit there are still those waiting for the heavens to open and pour them out blessing on top of blessing.

Don't be the person who is going to say "Gee if I just had a little more time."  I can think of a lot of things in life that can bring misery, but one of the worst is knowing that you had the ability to do something, achieve all of your dreams and yet you squandered all of it.  I think I would rather be void of any dream verses having to live with the realization that I simply threw my dreams away or let them wither on the vine.

There are all kinds of questions that people are thinking about then the end is approaching: "Could I have loved more?",  or "I wonder what things would be like now had I done something, anything?" Have you asked yourself any of these questions?  Have you wondered where the time has gone and have you ever felt remorse for what you never did with the time you had?  I dare say there are very few people alive today who haven't felt this way.  The fact that you may feel this way or have felt this way is a good thing because it just may help get you focused on the things that really matter.  Remember my friends, time is an illusion, and if you will simply focus on your dreams and desires and forget about time flying by, then eventually it will be like time has stood still for you because you will be wrapped up in doing what you were ultimately sent here to do.

So now you have an option.  You can sit around doing nothing, or you can move forward.  Moving forward is all about not letting the dream die.  You don't have to have all the answers, but you do have to have the desire, and trust me when dreams are involved desire is never going to be an issue.  If you have dreams never let go of them, and never let someone talk you out of them.  People may scoff at what you want, they may not understand, but that doesn't matter.  Your dreams are your own and not for anyone else to own.  If I had listened to others from my past I would never be where I am today, doing what I am doing, and quite frankly loving every moment that I get to write or speak to others about destiny.

So, if you had a little more time, what would you be doing with it?  Hopefully you will be doing exactly what you are doing right now and that is walking in your destiny.  If you are not there yet, don't give up hope.  You will discover your purpose, and then I promise you that sitting around doing nothing will never ever plaque you again.