To what length will you go to be the you you're supposed to be?

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We've all had to look at current situations and wonder if we are where we are supposed to be. We've all lived through situations and wondered if they have been the cause of placing us where we find ourselves in the moment.  We've all had to sit and wonder if we are being true to ourselves and more importantly, being the person we were intended to be.  Our dreams have been placed in us for good reason.  No dream is a waste, and the dreams you have will ultimately lead you to your destiny.  Now some people may not believe this, but these are the same people who gave up on their own dreams a long time ago.  What I want you to look at today, and what I want you to think about is this:  are you willing to do what needs to be done to bring your dreams into reality?

I've observed more then a few people who would rather go after another persons dream instead of going after their own.  First, the dreams of another person were never intended to be your dreams. There may be some similarities, but I assure you that you have your own dreams, and you have them for a reason.  In most cases people who stop believing in dreams have stopped because they somehow failed once or twice already and not believing seems easier then giving it another try.  If you stopped believing in your dreams then you have really never really believed in dreams.  Now I'm not saying this to belittle you, I'm saying this to prompt you to give it another try.  Achieving all you dream about may seem like an impossible task.  Quite honestly, those things that take the most effort ultimately mean more when you get what you are hoping for.  The big question is to what length are you willing to go to have what you really want?

My parents taught me that anything worth having is worth working for.  If you think that the Universe is going to simply drop your destiny in your lap with no effort on your part, you are sorely mistaken.  Let's be real for just a moment and let's look at people who have always had things handed to them, or had everything done for them.  These people end up with a huge entitlement mentality.  The world owes them something, not because they worked for it but simply because they feel they deserve it.  Lets cut to the chase and state boldly that having anything you want without any effort being put forth makes you a pretty lazy person and in my mind a fairly worthless individual.  Now I will probably get death threats for saying that, but let's be honest for once.  If you are unwilling to put out the effort to achieve your dreams, why in the world would you get angry when your dreams fizzle out?

I know lots of people would rather have things sugar coated and go on with life always thinking that things will work out.  If you just drift through life waiting for others to pick up the slack you will never be the person you were intended to be.  If you don't want to put out the effort then why would you think things are going to be any different then they are right now?  There comes a time when you are going to have to decide what is most important to you.  There will come a time when you are going to have to decide if what you want is really what you want.  I still have numerous things that I want to achieve in life.  I have to ask myself daily if I am willing to do what needs to be done to get me to the place I want most in life.  I'm the only one who can answer that question and I'm the only one who can get me to the place I really want to be.  Certainly there will be people who will be there to help you along the way, but if you can't decide what you really want, you are going to spin your wheels until the cows come home.

There are times when results come easy, and there will be times when results just don't come at all.  The real meaning of life is figuring out that there is still hope, even when things may not go according to plan.  I have wants and desires.  I have dreams and hopes.  Do you really think that I will be able to achieve any of my goals if I simply hang out and wait for the Universe to drop them down to me?  Folks, life isn't like that.  Half the fun of getting something you really want is working toward what you want.  Some of life's greatest successes come from some of life's greatest set-backs.  Failure is never fatal, at least not as far as I'm concerned.  I've failed more times then I'd like to admit, but guess what?  I'm still standing and I'm still going after what I want most in life.  I know how tiring life can be.  There have been times in my life when I wanted to say to hell with it all.  Just let me die and everything will be better.  Well I'm still here and I'm still here because there are things that I still need to do, want to do, and plan on doing.  If you have accomplished all you have always wanted to accomplish and there is nothing more to do, well good on you.  But I will say this:  if you are still here breathing and taking up space on this planet, then there is still something you are supposed to do.  I've had people who worry about time and wonder if they will have the time in this life to do what needs to be done.  The answer is quite simple:  you will be here for as long as you need to be here to accomplish those things you were sent here to do.

So what length will you go to to be the real you?  What length will you go to, to achieve your dreams?  What length will you go to to make sure you walk in your destiny?  I'd like you to think about your dreams.  What is the one things you really want to do, but haven't done it yet?  When you think about this one thing do you smile, or do you grow sad?  How you answer that question will tell me if you have given up on things.  Please don't give up.  If at first you don't succeed, well consider yourself in good company.  Very rarely do people live lives where nothing goes wrong.  Trust me, everything you go through teaches you stuff.  The more you learn, the more you can do.  The more you do, the closer you come to being the real you.  The real you is what the world needs.  The real you is why you were sent here.  The real you is what is calling out to you each and every day.  When you accept the real you, then you will see things come into being, and life is a grand thing.

If a picture paints a thousand words, what does your landscape say?

Photographer:

Jeff Hollett

Photographer:

Jeff Hollett

They say that a pictures paints a thousand words.  If I were to take a picture of the landscape of your life, what do you think those thousand words would say.  I believe that there is beauty in everything.  Certainly there are times when you might have to go down a few layers to get to the beauty, but rest assured beauty is there.  If I were to take a cross section of your life, what do you think I would find.  What would your landscape say about you and what would it tell me about you the person?  We've all been guilty of not always being real, but when you dig down deep, real is all you really get, or all you really have.

What I'd like to do today is start you out on a journey of greater discovery.  I always say that life is a journey of discovery.  Sadly there are far too many people who have given up on their journey.  That's sad, and it's sad because life is such a wonderful thing, especially when you live life to the fullest.  How many people do you know who have given up on life?  How many people do you run into on a daily basis and you wonder if they are aware of the many possibilities that await them?  How often do you just see something and wonder why?  So many questions, and yet we often do not wait around for the answers, or we simply don't want to hear the answers.

If you had asked me about my landscape 15 years ago I dare say it would be completely different then the picture of my life right now.   I've had dark times in my life, and I've been to places that have helped me move forward in different areas.  I'll be the first to admit that landscapes do change, but they change the most when we are open to them.  Too many people are locked into a perception of what their life is supposed to look like.  One miss-step and it's curtains for them, at least that's how they see it.  Thank god that one mistake does not end your destiny.  If the only thing you can see in your landscape is darkness, then I encourage you to strongly consider making changes.  Life is not supposed to be about loneliness, or unhappiness.  Life when lived to the fullest is all about peace, love, joy, and of course happiness.  Each of our landscapes should be an advertisement for peace, love, and joy.

I want you to look at the canvass of your life, what do you see on it?  Some will say it's blank, while others feel it's to busy with stuff, so much stuff that the scene is unrecognizable.  Each of us will have a different canvas, as each of us are in a different phase of life.  The key to any landscape is that it is real.  Make believe is not what we are looking for.  Fantasy is not what we are looking for.  Reality is the key, and being real is what needs to be on your canvas.  If I asked you to describe your canvass to me, right at this moment, what words would you use?  I like words like magical, uplifting, inspiring, or even better, remarkable.  If you can't use these words, then I'd like to know why not.   What is it that is keeping you away from the magical, the uplifting and inspiring, or the remarkable?  Contrary to what you may have been told in life, or conditioned to believe, we all are magical, uplifting, inspiring, and of course remarkable.  This is what your canvass should look like because this is what you like to the creator.  We don't often see these things in us because we have been cautioned throughout life to make sure we don't become a narcissist.  We've been told that standing out in a crowd is only for the braggarts, or the insanely stupid people who think more of themselves then they should.  Well that's just crap my friends.  If you can't accept your greatness, then you will never walk in your greatness, and that canvas you have been staring at is never going to be the portrait that it was intended to be.

Do me a favor and just for a minute think about the most perfect, beautiful scene.  When you think of the beauty of this landscape what are you really thinking about?  Are you thinking that it is you or are you thinking that it's just a pipe dream?  Pipe dreams are nothing more then falling prey to all the naysayers out there.  Pipe dreams are nothing more then you accepting all the negative vibes and intentions of others.  Trust me, a landscape of pipe dreams is not what you should be looking for.  Just for a second thing about this:  why would you be looking at something truly magnificent if you were never intended to experience magnificence?

So let me ask you one more time, what does your landscape say about you?  What thousand words would you like the rest of the world to know about you?  There was this guy, Bob Ross, who used to have a painting shown on PBS before he passed away.  I can remember watching him and at first I thought he was a total wacko, but then I saw the genius of what he was doing.  He would always say that your painting was your own little world and you could put what ever you wanted in it, wherever you wanted it.  Well this is so true when it comes to painting your own landscape.  Why would you want to only follow what others said you had to be or had to do, when you know there is so much more to you?  Ladies and Gentlemen the time has come to put the brush to canvas and begin to paint your future.  You have to believe that you are here for a purpose and only you can do what you were created to do.  When you came into this world your canvass had already been completed.  What you need to do is look at it and believe it.  Believe that you have a purpose.  Believe that you will discover your destiny.  Believe that your canvas is a work of art and you alone are the center of attention of your landscape.

What is your canvas saying to you?  Can you see the absolute splendor of your surroundings?  Do you realize that you in fact are a work of art.  Priceless and one of a kind, there is no one else like you.  It's time you started believing this and it's time that the world sees your portrait.  Display it for the world to see, and see if things don't come to life like never before.

It's never too late to be true to yourself.

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Have you ever lived a lie?  Have you ever tried to be something you're not?  Have you ever just looked at a situation and wondered what you would do differently, if you only had the chance?  I believe that each of us has at one time or another done something that was out of character, but we did it anyway because we saw no other alternative.  I want you to think about life for a moment and think about being true to everything around you.  I want you to ask yourself if you have indeed been true to your true self, and if not, why not.

No one is perfect, at least no one that I have known personally.  It is in our imperfection that we realize our humanity.  The problem with humanity is that too many people give up on it too quickly.  The problem with humanity is that we have limited ourselves, and in doing so, have limited what we were always meant to be.  I'd like to break that cycle, and in doing so, take a giant leap in advancing what I truly believe is our own true destiny.  Man was never created just to simply take up space.  We each have a purpose and until such time as you discover that purpose you are never going to know how to be your true self.

I've been around people who I have truly admired.  I've been around people who sickened my stomach.  No matter how people are, we are either trying to be just like them, or making every effort not to be like those we despise.  It is tough being our true selves because we have so much going against us.  We have people always telling us what we can and can't do.  We have people who always seem to know more then us, and are trying to dictate our actions or our endeavors.  God forbid that you should want to stand out in a crowd and be different.  How many times have we seen people who stand out in a crowd and our first impression is what fools.  Just because one wears dread locks doesn't make them weird.  Just because someone enjoys only wearing black clothes and makeup doesn't make them the enemy of the world.  We are so fast to judge long before we have tried to find out why people do what they do.  There are millions of things that fly in the face of normalcy, but then you have to ask yourself whose normal is it?  Is it my normal, or your normal?  Is your normal any less valid then mine?  Is my normal any more attainable then yours?

I get how hard it can be to be your true self when up until now you have been anything but that.  If you have always been one way and people see you acting another way all of a sudden, most people are going to ask why.  Sadly even if they ask why, it is almost always after they have made their own judgment.  Being your true self after being an imposter for so many years is not an easy thing to do.  Now I don't say imposter to belittle anyone.  I use it only as a descriptor of those who have tried to be something they are not.  So many people hide behind false facades, almost as a protection thing.  It's easier to say one thing verses showing someone that you have faults.  Hell, we all have faults.  I can't think of a single person I know that doesn't have faults.  I have plenty of them.  Sure I'm trying to rid myself of many of them, but just about the time I think I have everything under control something else gets triggered and more faults float to the surface.  We will be dealing with faults the rest of our lives.  One would do well to accept that notion and just handle each one as they present themselves to you, and they will let their presence be known I assure you.

Being true to yourself is simply surrendering yourself to your higher calling.  Being true to yourself is accepting that there are things that need to be done, and they need to be done by you.  Being true to yourself is accepting that you have greatness running through your veins.  Until such time as you can accept your destiny, you will not, as I have said before, be your true self.  I know my calling, and I am so privileged to do what I do.  How many others are out there who can't say the same thing?  There is nothing worse then wanting something and never feeling as though you're going to get it.  Before I began to write about destiny there was an emptiness inside of me.  I thought that having a fancy car and lots of money would somehow fill that void.  It did not!  When I began writing my first book my life turned around.  I started seeing things as they truly were and not the way that others said they were.  There was a new found freedom because I was finally able to be true to me.  I no longer concerned myself with what others said or thought.  I was more focused on being the best me I could be and not giving a damn about what others thought of my choices or decisions.  Life is far to short to worry about what others say or think especially when it pertains to your destiny.    If you are more worried about other people's views, then you are going to have a very difficult time holding on to your own dreams and visions.

My good friends, it's never too late to be true to yourself.  If I've learned anything over the last ten years or so it's the importance of being me.  I was made me because others needed me.  You were created because others needed you.  Start accepting that you have a part to play in the universe.  Accept the truth that there is something you are supposed to do.  Being true to self is so vitally important.  Being true to self is something that I encourage you to focus on.  Being true to self is what will usher in a period of joy, love, happiness, and peace.  We all should want joy in our life, as well as love, happiness, and peace.  You can have all of these things and more if you will be true to who you really are.  Lets bring more joy and love to those around us, and watch as the world changes one person at a time.

Live long and Prosper!

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I doubt very seriously that there are many alive today who are not familiar with "Live Long and Prosper".  I can remember trying to learn how to give the hand sign when I was just a little kid and how happy I was when I finally mastered it and could do it on command.  (So how many of you just did the Vulcan hand gesture? Lol) I digress.  Anyway, what took me a little longer to learn was how to really live long and prosper.  Truth be told I'm still having to learn a few things, but thank goodness I still have time to learn a thing or two.

What I want to share today are some of my thoughts on living a long and prosperous life, and quite frankly the importance of taking others along with you on what should be a fantastic ride.  First and foremost prosperity it not simply acquiring lots of stuff in your life. I know handfuls of people who have amassed large sums of money, but they are as far away from being truly prosperous as we are away from Andromeda.  Conversely I know others who live very modest lives, but they are some of the most prosperous people I know.  Secondly, lets talk about age.  What is long life?  What should it look like?  How do you live it, and why should it be important to you, if it is important to you?  My grandmother lived well into her 90's.  Did she live a long life?  I guess if you measure it against others who only lived to 60 you'd have to say she lived a long life.  What about those who lived to be one hundred plus years, is that a long life?  My idea of a long life is living as if there is no tomorrow, and being happy when tomorrow comes.  Long life is not so much the years you live, but what you do with the time you have here.  There are individuals who lived very short lives, yet accomplished amazing things in a short period of time.  There are others who lived what seemed like an eternity but never did much of anything.  Time is an illusion, and one would be wise to remember that.

What is true prosperity?  Is it having the biggest house, or the fanciest car?  Is prosperity never worrying about where your next meal is coming from or is it having enough financial freedom to be able to go after your dreams?  Let me tell you one thing: if you are waiting for financial freedom until you go after your dreams, you probably won't have to worry about going after your dreams, because they will have withered up and died long ago.  I'm not saying this to ruin your day, I'm saying this to help you understand what prosperity really is and what it is not.   What do you say to people who are struggling financially?  Do you encourage them to go after their dreams, or do you encourage them to work harder and eventually they will have what they need to strike out on their own?  Let's be real for just a minute: how can we expect others to look at dreams when all they see is piled up bills?  What I want you to understand is that dreams are not predicated upon what the balance sheet says.  Your ability to have it all is dependent on your willingness to recognize that you already have it all.  Prosperity is not just for the few, it is for everyone.  We've just been conditioned to believe that it all trickles down and someone will always be ahead of us and we will benefit from what they have done.  Man's conditioning has done more to screw up lives then I can state.  You are just as worthy as anyone else, and without regard to who your parents were, or what side of the tracks you grew up on, you have the right to expect prosperity and long life.

So why am I talking about this today?  I will answer that question with another question.  How many of you are happy with where you are at right now?  If you were to leave this physical plane today, would you feel complete?  I have so many people who ask me when will they know that they have fulfilled their destiny?  The answer is simple, when you leave these mortal coils.  You see, you are here because there are still things to be accomplished by you.  Quit worrying about time, and start focusing on the things you want to do.  I know very few people who have done it all.  There are still things I want to accomplish, that I feel I need to accomplish.  Neither you or I know when the end will come, so why focus on it.  I live as though there will always be a tomorrow and that tomorrow allows me to do more things.  I'm not ready to put down my pen or to stop talking about destiny.  As long as I'm here I might as well do the things I love doing.

Living a long and prosperous life is nothing more then stepping out into those things you love.  Living a long and prosperous life is nothing more then being what you were created to be.  Living a long and prosperous life is knowing that you were created to create.  If you continue to hold on to the belief that you are a mere mortal you will never accomplish what you were sent here to accomplish.  The time has come to shed the conditioning of past generations and begin to walk in the knowledge of who and what you really are.  I long for the day when every human understands, accepts, and begins to walk in their true destiny.  Think about a world were all egos are held at bay and we are no longer motivated to do things that will only benefit ourselves.  Think about a time when we look at all of humanity and accept that there is greatness in everyone and your efforts are there to help bring out that greatness.

Live long and prosper my good friends and begin sharing the very best part of you with others.  Life is indeed a journey of adventure and discovery.  Begin your journey now and live it like you've never lived it before.  Trust me, when you begin walking in your destiny you will never want to turn back around and have it the way it was.