It's so cliche, but it's true: Don't worry, be happy.

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If you've been around this planet for almost any amount of time you've been exposed to this saying at least once.  Sadly, many, many people have yet to get to the point where they are able to really live a life full of happiness and void of worry.  I guess the question that comes to mind is why!  Why so much worry?  Why so much concern?  Why oh why can't we just all get along and live life to the fullest?

We are entering the holiday season, and for many this is a time of year that they would sooner run and hide rather then participate fully. The holiday season is anything but happy for quite a few people, and the reason for this is that they have allowed life's circumstances to dictate how they are feeling, instead of them dictating what they feel like.  What I'd like to do today is encourage you to change the way you think, and by doing this, change how you see things, and by changing how you see things, change the way that your life may be headed.  Confused yet?  No worries, when we get done you just might have a change of heart and things just might seem a little less threatening.

First and foremost:  as a created being, we were created to create.  To some this may seem like a foreign concept, but that's only because they haven't realized the significance of being here in this moment.  One of my idols is the late Dr. Wayne Dyer.  He was fond of saying that if you can change the way you think, you will change the way you live.  If you are constantly worried about the other shoe dropping, then it's only a matter of time until the shoe does drop. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy.  If on the other hand you can see success, see happiness, see joy, then odds are pretty good that you will be living a life full of success, happiness, and joy.  I can sit around and bemoan all the bad that is going on in the world, but if I do that, then all I'm doing is focusing on the negative and that leaves very little room for anything good to happen in my life.  I've known people who worry all day long.  They worry if the coffee pot is going to work in the morning.  They worry if there is going to be a traffic jam on the way to work.   They worry about this, that, and the other thing.  The energy they expend on worrying could power a small city.  How often do you spend time worrying about something, and when all is said and done the thing you were worrying about never ever manifest itself?  That's an awful waste of time and energy.  Worrying can never lead to a good result. Worrying tires you out, stresses you out, and ultimately will shorten your life.   Now given the option to walk free from worry, or to continue to carry it around with you, what would you choose?

If we were created in the image of God, then doesn't that mean that we should be able to do some of the things that God has done?  According to ancient scripture and text, God spoke this universe into existence.  God's words created it all.  If our creator can create with words, and we are in the image of our creator, then shouldn't  we be able to create with our words?  Now there are many who will never believe this, but they are the same ones who don't recognize that they have already created their current reality with their own words.  Here's a simple truth:  you are living the life you have thought about, talked about, and believe in.  If you can't see yourself as successful, happy, or joyful, then I don't think you will ever have to worry about being any of them.  If all you see is worry, concern, dread, and a bleak darkness, then should it come as a surprise if that is what you are walking around in?

There's a song I love during this time of year.  Who am I fooling, OK I love this song all through the year.  It's called "Let there be Peace on Earth."  This song talks about peace and how it should begin with each of us.  If you can't see peace, feel peace, speak peace, then there will never be any peace in your life.  If on the other hand you are able to hold peace in your heart, speak words of peace, display acts of kindness and peace, what type of life do you think you will have?  These simple actions are what will drive your very existence.  If we will "take each moment, and live each moment in peace eternally"  then your life will fundamentally change forever.  Those things you focus on will be the things that will be front and center in your life.  Doesn't it make sense to focus on the good things, and not the bad?

Trust me, if you're living with concern, worry, then you're not experiencing peace, and without peace it's almost impossible to be happy.  Find stuff that will put a smile on your face.  Do things that take your mind off the negative.  Refuse to fall prey to the rest of the naysayers and simply create your own zone of happiness.  If you will refuse to succumb to the pressure of others to conform to what others say is normal, then you will rise about all the crap that others choose to contend with.

Life is too short to be taken up with things that bring nothing to you but misery and unhappiness.  Focus on peace, focus on happiness, and focus on joy.  If you will think about it, feel it, then I promise you that you will live it.  It's impossible to walk around with a smile on your face and not have an effect on others, let alone yourself.  Let there be peace on earth, and when there is there will no need to worry and then all will be happy.  Think about it, and then get moving.

The Road to Independence.

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The Road to Independence is not always straight.  The Road to Independence is not always just a one-way road.  The road that each of us takes to our own independence will be as varied as the sands of a beach.  The problem that most people experience is that they are trying to take someone else's road and not their own.  Today I want to encourage you to forget what others have done, what they might be doing, and follow your own road.  It is in following what has been ordained for you that you will get to the place where you will be the person you were always intended to be.

When I was younger and very impressionable I would try to emulate others around me.  If I knew someone who was popular or successful I would try to be a mirror image of them.  Sadly what this did was cause me to loose my own identity.  My personality is perfectly suited for the things that I am supposed to do in this life.  There is no need to change who I am, because who I am is the person that I was created to be.  When we try to be something we are not we will get into all kinds of trouble.  When we try to fabricate a life for ourselves and not be satisfied with the life you were placed into, that is the time that you are going to run into trouble.

Everyone's road to their own independence will be marked with signs.  These signs will always tell you what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.  Our challenge is being aware of the signs and then when awareness comes, do something with the information.  You can sit around and do nothing, but then you have no one else to blame when things are not the way you desire them to be.  I've had periods in my life when I wanted others to do for me the things I should have been doing all along.  There have been moments when I felt as though the world owed me big time and I was going to wait for what was owed to me to be deposited in my lap.  Trust me, most of the time all you will be doing by waiting is wasting a huge amount of time.

There will be days when your own road to independence might seem almost impossible to travel.  A dip here, a crest over there, a detour, and just maybe a road block with no alternative route to travel.  Trust me when I tell you that your road is perfectly suited for you, and if you will be mindful of this fact, you will be able to navigate the changes that might be in front of you.  I've traveled many roads in my life, and I am so thankful that I didn't give up.  I love my life.  I love who I am and what I do.  I love that I have had the opportunities I've had, and I look forward to more opportunities in the future.  Had I tried to travel someone else's road I can assure you that I would not be where I am at today.

Your personal Road to Independence is just for you.  What you were created to do can only be done by you.  If you are the only one who can do what you were created to do, why would you want to travel someone else's road and not your own?  If you desire the freedom to be who you were intended to be, why would you subject yourself to being tied down to others expectations?  If you desire to walk in your destiny, why would you allow yourself to be pigeoned holed into being someone or something that you are not?  It's easy to ask these questions.  What isn't easy is answering them truthfully.  That being said, the only way to live life to the fullest is for you to be open and truthful when it comes to being yourself.  I've purposely held back sharing some of my dreams because I was almost embarrassed by them.  I'm not embarrassed because they are crazy or stupid but rather because my visions are so huge.  I let my fear or concern of what others might think stop me from moving full speed ahead on those things that I really wanted to do.  You see, I allowed myself to travel someone else's road and not my own.

Please, please, please believe me when I tell you that you are the only one who can accomplish those things you were sent here to accomplish.  Certainly there may be others who will do things similar to you, but it won't be identical because you and others are totally different people.  I have an identical twin brother and although we share the same DNA, his destiny is different then mine, and mine is different then his.  We may look the same, sound the same, have identical mannerisms, but our destinies are different, and the roads we travel will be different.

You may have started down your Road to Independence, and if you are like most people, you will not be able to see the end.  What lurks around the next bend is something that you will have to wait to see until you get to the bend.  The end of your road is way to far down the horizon to be worried about when or if you will get to the end of the road. Trust me, the end of the road is never the prize.  The prize is in navigating your own road, and doing it in your own way.  There will be people around you who can help, but the wise will understand that this is just a helpful hand and not intended to be your life jacket.  I encourage each of you to take a step back and try to identify if you are in fact on your own road or simply occupying someone else's space.  It may be more comfortable to occupy a road that has already been explored and conquered, but it will never be the road that will take you to your destiny.  There are no short-cuts when it comes to discovering and walking in your destiny.

Your Road to independence is just waiting for you to take a stroll down a very exciting and fulfilling path. I promise you that once you begin to take this journey, there is very little that will stop you from wanting to complete the journey.  I wish you well on your travels and I look forward to hearing about what gates or doors may have been opened for you as you trek across this magnificent universe.