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.

Your Highest Calling...is there any other way?

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Do you really believe that everyone has a calling? Can you believe that everyone has a higher calling?  If you answer in the affirmative, then the next obvious question is what is your highest calling?  Some will be able to answer this question and others will just be scratching their heads wondering if there really is such a thing as a calling.  What I'd like you to think about today is your purpose.  Most people who know me know that I will always say that you're not here in this moment just for the free popcorn.  There is something that you were sent here to do, to accomplish.  The absolute key to living is to learn this purpose, this calling, your higher calling.

I can guarantee you that your calling is never going to be in an area that you have zero interest in.  I will bet you dimes to donuts that your calling will always follow what you are most passionate about.  Why would the Creator of the Universe have you do something that you had no passion for?  The answer is, it wouldn't happen that way.  Whether one wants to admit it or not, we all have a passion; that one thing that you would give almost anything to do.  Why do people find it so difficult to accept the notion that they have a passion?  Now passion is not simply what you share with your soul mate.  Passion is what should drive you, motivate you, and guide you through life.  My passion is sharing with others, through my words, my writing, my talks, about destiny and just who and what we really are.  If you have read any of my previous post or writings then you know that I talk about destiny in almost everything.  The joy I feel when I am talking about destiny is beyond what I had ever hoped for in this life.  Believe it or not I would do all that I do now even if I never made a penny at it.  You see, writing about and talking about destiny is what drives me, it's what moves me, and motivates me.  What I desire most is that you would find that one thing that does the same thing for you.

Your highest calling is nothing more then doing the one thing that you are best suited for, that you were designed for, and sent here for.  I speak to people daily and I can't tell you how many of them share with me that they are not sure that they even know what they are passionate about.  Sadly our true passion gets pulled through the grinder of life by those around us who want to speak negatively about our dreams and desires.  Many people will bury their passion deep inside of themselves for fear that others will mock them, laugh at them, or simply turn their back on them for even trying to go after what is most important to them.  People can be so mean and petty when it comes to someone else's dreams and desires.  Most of the time they are just angry that they don't have the nerve to go after what they really desire while others around them are doing it.

I've seen the world.  I've looked upon the faces of those who seem lost.  I've touched the hearts of those who are looking for that one thing that will give their life purpose.  In almost ever case I see those who have buried their passion and refused to go after it.  When all seems lost do you really have any where else to go accept to find your real passion.  Life will never be fulfilled until you are doing the one thing you were created to do.  I would love to touch the lives of billions with my message of destiny and purpose.  That being said, if I went on to my next existence tomorrow, I know I have had an impact on many lives, and that impact will be felt for generations by others who will be impacted by those I came in contact with.  I don't say this to brag, I say this because I am so blessed to have this gift and I am so blessed that I have been able to give it to others.

When you are walking in your highest calling then you will feel the same way.  You will get up each morning happy that you have yet another opportunity to touch another person's life in a meaningful way.  Let me say this about callings and I need you to really hear me.  I don't care what your calling is.  You might be called to be President of the United States, or you might be called to be the best Garbage Man in the world.  Neither is better then the other and until such time as we forget about labels, forget about status, and simply look at people as beautiful creations, we will never have a world free from bigotry, hatred, and the like.

Find your passion.  Accept your passion.  Walk in those things that were meant for you, because you were meant for the rest of the world.  Your passion was not placed in you simply to please you or give you something to be brag about.  True passion is there for others to benefit from.  Giving of yourself so others might benefit is such an honorable thing to do.  Sadly many have forgotten the golden rule.  Many only seek what makes them happy, or more comfortable, or higher on the social ladder of life.  Don't misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with being happy, or comfortable, or even reaching the highest tier in society.  What is wrong is when that is what motivates you above all else.

Trust me when I tell you that the moment you accept your highest calling is the moment that your life will really have meaning.  When you come to terms with your passion, with your destiny, then and only then will life have real purpose.  It may take you time to discover all of this, but lucky for you, time is not really an issue.  You will walk in your destiny before you leave this place, if only for a moment.  Your highest calling is accepting your highest purpose, and accepting that you have something to offer others.  Go after those things that will help define your legacy.  There is greatness in each of us, and the rest of the world needs what is in each of us.

When in the course of human events....

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It was a Thursday in 1776 when the United States of America declared her independence from Britain. There have been other countries who have declared independence for various reasons.  Independence has been echoed through the hallowed halls of Congress for nearly 250 years.  People at the time of the original signing wanted, desired, and longed for a better life, and they only saw one way of getting it.  Let me ask you this: have you ever considered independence?  Have you ever desired to be freed from the expectations that others have placed on you?  Have you yearned for a period when you could do it your own way, in your own time frame, and the way you just feel in your heart is the right way to do something?

There is nothing worse in life then feeling trapped.  Life is difficult because we have been told what to do, how to do it, and with each demand comes expectations.  How many times have you just wanted to be free from what others expected of you?  I'm not talking about not being responsible, what I'm talking about is being free from others thoughts of what is right for you.  Let's face it, there are many times in each life when we need help, but what we don't need is someone taking control of our life when that someone hasn't a clue as to what really makes you tick, nor do they care what motivates you, or what dreams you have.  Every person will ultimately have to decide whether to go with the flow or whether to declare their independence.  Every person will have to decide what is most important to them and if what they hope for is worth turning away from what everyone else thinks is the only way to go.

I have always been an outsider.  I was the one who would question authority.  I didn't question things because I wanted to be a smart ass.  I questioned things because what they were saying didn't make sense and it certainly didn't radiate with what my spirit was telling me.  I had to declare my independence from the world's expectation and tell those who wanted to control me that there would be no more of that.

If there was a guarantee of success would you drop everything right now and follow your dreams?  If there was a guarantee of happiness would you chase after your dreams and never stop running after them?  If there was a guarantee of unlimited happiness would you say good-bye to the old and usher in the new?  Now I've been told so many times in the past that there are no guarantees in life.  Maybe there aren't, but maybe there are.  I know who and what I am.  I am a created being.  I've been around since the beginning of time and will be around until the end of time.  I'm energy, and as such I can not be created nor can I be destroyed.  Now I know some people will think I have gone out of my mind, but how can you argue with science.  We are all energy.  Every bit of energy that is here right now has always been and will always be.  So what does any of that have to do with independence?  Think about the real you.  What are you?  You're not just flesh and blood.  We are spiritual beings who happen to occupy a mortal body.  You don't have to be subjects to a group of people who refuse to accept the greatness of their being, thereby simply going through life like everyone else before them. We are created beings with the ability to create.  We are so much more then mere human beings.  If you can grasp the greatness of your own existence then you can be independent from the expectations of others.  If you can see your true essence then you can declare your independence from those who refuse to be who they were intended to be.

I have tried to fit into what others thought I should do, or should be.  I've tried as hard as I could to do what I thought others wanted or expected of me.  I finally declared my own independence.  I wasn't happy being everything to everyone, and never being free to be the real me.  I declared my independence from the world's expectations of me.  I declared my own freedom to be who I know I am meant to be, the person I was always intended to be.  I am so blessed to be able to do what I love most and that is write.  Had I never separated myself from the expectations of others I never would have began writing and my happiness would never have fully been mine.  I embrace my happiness and I desire you to embrace your own happiness.

The time has come to declare your own Independence.  Now that doesn't mean you can't seek out the assistance of others or that you can't listen to advice.  It means that you give yourself the freedom to do things the way you know they need to be done even when that way may be contrary to the way others think it should be done.  You of all people know your dreams and desires better then anyone, why would you ever allow others to take control of those dreams and desires?  My dear friends it's time to start accepting that you do know what you want, that you can in fact accomplish your dreams, and that true happiness is rightfully yours.  Become independent and see if life doesn't change in a very positive way.  This year is a year of new beginnings, but new beginnings for old dreams and ideas that we allowed others to rob from us.  Dreams and Ideas never change, so you can pick them back up and not worry that they are no longer for you.  Declare that you are free and see how things change for you in the blink of an eye.

P.S.  If ever there was a time to step out into those things you know to be for you, now is that time.  When we declare our independence we are finally saying that we are what is most important.  If we never discover who we really are can we ever be that person who can change the world and help others around us achieve their dreams and desires?  Declaring your independence is not a selfish act it in fact is selfless.  When you walk in your destiny you will begin to encourage others to walk in theirs.  Helping one discover their destiny is in fact one of the single most important acts of kindness you will ever give to them.  Think about that and lets declare our own independence.

Keep the Faith!

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Let's face it, it's difficult at times to keep the faith when everything around us is simply falling apart.  If you look around you, seeing what is happening around the world, it's a wonder that anyone has any faith left, if they ever had any in the first place.  Now I'm not writing this today to get you down.  On the contrary, I want to motivate you to go after even more in your life, and expect to see things come front and center for you.

Faith is nothing more then knowing that you have a destiny, and come hell or high water, you will walk in that destiny.  Certainly there will be times when your faith is challenged, after all we are human.  But being challenged is nothing more than an opportunity to grow, to venture out into new things, and to bring to light those things that are most important to you.

Stepping out into new adventures is what living is all about.  Steeping out and doing something completely different is what staying young is all about.  Stepping out and letting go of your fears, and your past, is what faith is all about.  When you can look at past failures, or past hurts, and realize that life is so much worth living, then you have faith, and that faith is what will get you through the rest of your journey.

There have been countless people over the years who have tried to describe faith.  There are people who will say that there is only one way to get faith.  I'm sorry, but someone else's faith is not your faith.  What others do, yes it may help you in your journey, but it isn't going to change anything that you may go through, or have gone through.  I'm always amazed when someone will say that they know what I'm thinking, or know what I'm feeling, no they don't.  Unless you have lived my identical life, which we all know isn't likely, then there is no way that you can know what I'm thinking or feeling.  Of course they mean well in their sentiments, but meaning well is not going to change what I might or might not be going through.  My own faith is what is going to determine the direction I go, or even if I move forward with things.  My faith, or lack there of,  is going to either embolden me to reach for the stars, or sit back and wonder where life went.  Yes people can encourage you.  Yes people can motivate you.  People will even surprise you from time to time with their ability to know exactly what to say and when to say it.  What people will never be able to do is manufacture faith for you.  Faith, your faith, is entirely up to you.  Face it, you either have it or you don't.

If you have faith, great.  Carry on with life, and see where life takes you and how great things are.  If you don't have faith, well it's never too late to pick it up.  The first step in getting faith is realizing that you are in fact worthy of all good things.  Problem with most people who stumble with their faith is that they think that somehow they have been a bad person or done something so grievous that there is no way that good fortune would ever follow them.  If you understand the significance of your true essence, then it is very easy to have faith.  You were not brought to this life because you were undeserving.  You were created to create, as I have said so many times in the past.  If your true nature is that of a creator, then why would you ever think or believe that you were not entitled to having a remarkable life?  Once again, people challenge faith because they are challenging who they perceive themselves to be.  If you can't accept your greatness, then all the faith in the world is not going to help you become the person you were intended to become.

Your faith starts with you accepting your greatness.  Your faith starts when you get up every morning realizing that you have yet another opportunity to dazzle the world with your beauty, your charm, and your shinning light.  Your faith remains when you refuse to take a backseat to anything that is counter to what you know to be true.  I've seen so many people abuse faith.  There's a group who believe in name it and claim it.  Problem with that is they have never done the deep work to understand their own greatness so that when adversity comes, as it often does, what ever they were believing for has been blown away by the wind.  You can't buy faith, you can't borrow it, you have to accept it.  You have to know that you are special and by virtue of your presence here right now, you have a destiny.  I wish I could have known all of this years ago when I was floundering about trying to figure out who I was.  I'm so thankful that no lesson is lost, and no matter what one goes through, there is always joy in knowing that you learned something.  My faith is strong because my acceptance of who I am is strong.  My faith is strong because I know the significance of me being alive right now.  My faith is strong because I was created to create.   Friends, whatever you do, do not fall prey to what others say is your right of passage.  Your right of passage is nothing more then accepting who you are.  Others may try to push you into a corner in terms of what you are supposed to do in life, but don't allow it.  Search your heart and follow your dreams.  Faith will follow you as long as you are following your own calling.  Faith is not that hard to find, and when you know who you really are, holding on to faith is as simple as taking your next breath.

Know the real you, and you will walk with child like faith your entire life.  There is nothing better in this life then knowing that your dreams will come true and that you will walk in your destiny.

Isn't it time to just let go?

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I know we want to keep going, keep trying, and just keep on keeping on, but there is a time when you just need to let it go.  Knowing what the right time is may be the Sixty Thousand Dollar Question. It's a question that many, many people will be forced to answer at some point in their life.

I have been writing about destiny and the awesomeness of knowing your true essence for years.  I've tried to get people to see the uniqueness that each individual is, and then accept your uniqueness, your originality.  Now letting go of something might seem counter to what I always write about, but before you go off on me, let me explain what I mean by letting go.  We tend to carry things around with us, when we might be better served to let certain things go.  So many people like to hold on to past hurts, past failures, past this, past that.  Instead of learning from what ever we went through, they would rather roll around in whatever pain, or sorrow they can hold on to.  When did holding on to pain ever really fix anything, or make things better?  Letting go of those things that no longer serve you only makes sense.  Well it makes sense to those who really want to move forward with completing their assigned task while on this planet.

I've seen so many people in my life never come to grips with things that may have happened to them, or never come to terms with what is expected of them.  Instead of embracing each situation as an opportunity for growth and learning, they instead see everything as the end of the world, or simply crisis after crisis.  Let's be real for just a moment and agree that walking around always waiting for the other shoe to drop is no way to go through life.  When you fail to let go of certain things you are going to always look for that second shoe.  Please, please, please let go and move on.  If you are constantly holding on to the past, refusing to learn from failures, then you are never going to move forward, and the longer you stay stationary, the sooner you are going to go stark raving mad.

I've had numerous people ask me what do you do to move on?  What steps need to be taken to get past something, something that may have been holding them up for years?  Now what each person does to get past something is largely dependent upon the individual person.  Some people are able to move past a failure or a hurt.  Others just want to hang on to these things.  I'd like to believe that my answer is a simple one.  If you can find the joy in any situation, no matter how traumatic or hurtful it may be, the easier it is to get over it.  Light comes from light, love from love, and joy and happiness from you guessed it, joy and happiness.  Everything we go through is a lesson and when you can find the joy in learning something new, you can bring more joy into your surroundings.   We've all been in a place where we have made mistakes, but we also have gotten to the point where we don't have to make the same mistake twice.  Isn't learning how not to repeat a mistake a victory in it self?  If we can be free from making the same mistake twice I would think that would bring you joy.  Yes the joy may have come from a bad situation, but it's joy none-the-less.

Finding joy and happiness is really a whole lot easier then many make it out to be.  The people who find it hard to walk in peace and joy are the very same people who are reliving their failures day after day.  The people who have nothing good to say are the same people who are reliving their pain each day.  Do you want to be that person who can't get out of their own way because there is too much of their past looking them in the eyes?  I get how difficult it can be to let go of the past, but once again it's because you have not picked up on the lesson that you were supposed to learn from having gone through what you just went through.  Trust me, you will continue to go round the barn until you learn what you were intended to learn.

Letting go is much easier when you realize the cost of holding on to something that no longer serves you.  Letting go of past hurt is much easier when you realize that even after the hurt you're still around.  It didn't kill you, and if you're really looking for the silver lining then being here means you survived, and survival is a whole lot better then the alternative.  Find the silver lining, find the joy, look at the promise of better tomorrows.  If you can do this, then letting go is a whole lot easier, and as you learn to let go, then you are able to move forward.  Moving forward in those things that really make life worth living is really what we all need to be doing.

I've had to let go of much hurt and much failure in my life.  When I finally made the decision to find the joy in situations, then I was able to be free from the bondage that had wrapped me up in a whole lot of nothing.  When you get wrapped up in not letting go of something you are stopping any possibility of forward progress.  If you are like most people, standing around waiting for something to happen is not fun.  Sadly most people's minds move to the negative when things are taking too long to come about.  Stop the worry, stop the negativity, and simply let go.  When you can let go of other's expectations, of your own expectations, then and only then will you be able to move forward and be the person you were meant to be.  Letting go is a whole lot easier then many have been lead to believe it is.  We have all been hurt, and we have all failed, but since you are reading this, then I guess you're still alive, and that just goes to prove that failure is hardly ever fatal.  Look past the failure, look past the hurt, and know that letting go of both is your opportunity to move ahead of it all.

Three Blind Mice.

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So why three blind mice?  Well there are a few things that many people are blinded to, or simply refuse to look at.  What are these three things you ask, I'll tell you.  There are millions of people who are blind to who they really are. There are millions of people who are blind to what they are supposed to do.  There are millions of people who simply do not want to see what is important in life and why they are missing the boat.  Do you fit into any of these groups?  If you do, don't loose heart, it's never too late to change things up.  What I want to do today is to get you ready to change things up so you no longer walk around blindly to the things that are most important in this life.

I want to start out by saying that I am in no way judging someone for where they are in their life.  What I am trying to accomplish is to get people to get the most out of life.  Sadly there is only a small percentage of people who are truly happy with where they are at in this moment.  I'm not saying you can't be happy, what I'm saying is that if you really are honest with yourself you have a bunch of should have, would have, and could haves in your life.  What if you had done this one thing?  I wish I had done this other thing.  If only I could have done this...  No one is immune from these things in their life.  There are plenty of things I wish I had done differently in life, but even so, I still learned from each thing that I didn't do, and for that I am grateful.

Who are you?  What are you?  Do you even realize the significance of you being here right now?  So, so many people are walking around blind to what should be so evident in their lives.  We have been created to create.  We don't believe this because we have been conditioned to believe that we are just human and we have to accept everything handed to us.  What do you really want to do in life?  I'm not talking about what you might be trapped in right now out of necessity.  I'm talking about that deeply embedded thought of what life could be like if only you did this one thing.  What is the one thing that you just can't let go of, that dream, that feeling of how great life would be if only you did this one thing?  There is a reason that this nagging thought never leaves you.  There is a reason you always seem to come back to that one thought of something you should be doing.  There is a reason you can't let go of that dream, even if you never speak about this dream to a single person.

The real tragedy in life is never going after that one thing that would truly make you happy.  So many people have settled for second best, and that saddens me.  Let's be real and honest, you know when you have settled.  Once again, no judgment on my part.  What I want you to see is that settling does not have to come into play.  How great would life be if you were living in the perfect place, doing the perfect job, and having the perfect family?  Now what your life looks like, and where you live and who surrounds you is entirely up to you, but shouldn't we all have the chance to really have what is best in life?

I have sought after things that I thought would make me happy in life.  Once I obtained them I still found that I wanted more.  It wasn't that I didn't have enough, it was that I didn't really have what I was looking for.  Honestly if having money, and a big house, and a fancy car was enough, why then do people who have all three, why are they still seeking more?  Why are they not happy?  Happiness is knowing who you are.  Happiness is knowing what you are.  Happiness is knowing that you are doing what you were created to do.  Trust me, when you know these three things, you could be living in a cardboard box, and you would feel like the most important, and luckiest person on the face of the planet.

It is time to take off the blinders and realize that you, as a creation of the creator of the Universe,  have unlimited power.  It is time to take off the blinders and realize that stuff is not the answer to life's happiness.  It is time to remove the blinders and see just who you are.  Think about a world where every individual knew the significance of their being.  Picture a world where we looked not on what we didn't have, but rather what we could do for others.  Imagine a entire planet where individuals understood their destiny, and worked to help others achieve their destiny.  I dare say we would be in a whole lot better shape if we did that.

I challenge you to think about these things. Think about those deeply held desires and dreams and for once give yourself permission to go after them.  Think about all the things you feel you have left undone or left behind and simply move forward, knowing that the opportunity will present itself once again so you might have what you desire.  Take a moment and just be thankful that you are alive right now and you have the opportunity to reach the highest level of personal understanding.  I tell you this, once you grasp the significance of your being, once you begin to walk in your destiny, then you will understand the Universe's perfection, and the perfection of you.  Take off the blinders my dear friend and begin to live life it was always intended to be lived.

It's a hard knock life...or is it?

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Most of us have gone through periods where things just didn't go right, didn't seem right, or just didn't appear to be what we really wanted. Some of us have been through times where we were down and out with no apparent exit strategy for getting out of the muck and mire.  For others, there have been deep moments of depression, almost inescapable.  No matter how hard life may have gotten, no matter what you may have gone through, there is a reason for each of these events, and an opportunity to learn.  No one ever said that learning was painless, but learning is always profitable.

I as of late have found myself looking deeper at things.  I tend to do this when a shift is coming.  I like shifts.  I like change, but alas I am human and sometimes change can be a little scary.  What I want you to do today is begin to look at things a little differently and maybe in doing so you will learn that not all things that appear to be bad are really meant to be bad in your life.  I have been through so many ups and downs over the last 15 or so years.  There have been times when I really wanted to put a gun to my temple and pull the trigger.  There have been times when I scaled the mountain tops and saw the beauty that was life.  We all go through different periods with different results but the key to any period is to learn from them.  If you fail to learn you are going to go through it again, no matter how painful it may have been the first time.

Our existence is cyclic.  We have always been and will always be.  Now some people will argue this point, but truth is truth.  Everything in the universe is energy.  The 1st Law of Thermodynamics says that one can neither create nor destroy energy.  That means that all the energy that is here right now was here from the beginning of time and will be here until the end of time.  Now you can call the energy that is you anything you want.  You can call it spirit, soul, essence, it doesn't matter.  The point I want to make is that you have been around the block a few times.  You have experienced the ups and downs of life a few times, and you have been given the opportunity to learn from them.  We go through certain phases of life to get us to a specific point.  If we can't get to the specific point then we will get the opportunity to navigate it again until we get where we are supposed to be.  I see people all the time who fight things.  Go ahead and waste the energy, you are going to go through what you are going to go through to teach you what you need to learn.  My advice is pick up on the lesson as soon as possible and move on with life.

I'm asked the question all the time about people who struggle and why them and not someone else.  I look at people all the time and wonder what their plight in life is and why it's theirs and not another persons.  I look at people and wonder how many times they have gone through an event and instead of being joyful only found hurt and pain.  I look back on my life and certainly there have been things I never want to go through again, but I did learn from them.  Now the learning may have come after many years, but eventually I could look back on things and see exactly why things happened the way they happened.  Let's be honest, if you have never gone through a trying or difficult time in your life can you ever really appreciate the really good times of life?  I not saying I seek after difficult times, trust me, difficult times will find you whether you are looking for them or not.  What I'm saying is that instead of running away from bad times look at them as an opportunity to really grow and in that growth you will find the joy in the situation.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I know what you are going through, or what you might be feeling or thinking.  I hate it when people do that to me.  We all have different paths and what I go through is going to be different from you might go through.  What isn't going to change is the reason you or I are going through something.  I can empathize with people and their various struggles or setbacks.  I can reach out and offer comfort when something bad happens to a friend or family member.  What I can't do is make people learn what they are supposed to learn.  There is nothing worse then that person who is always telling you they told you so or that they knew the exact outcome of what you were trying to do, and they told you all about it before you ever started on something.  You almost want to slap the crap out of them.  What I want you to see is that no matter how difficult situations may seem, or how lousy life might be there is an opportunity to find the joy.  Joy being brought into any situation brings more joy.  I know that may not be much consolation, but when you're up to your ass in alligators its nice to know there is a boat on the way to pull you out.

Life may be a challenge at times, but boy isn't it nice to know that you are still around able to face the challenges?  You are here right now because there are still things you need to do, things you still need to learn.  My advice to you is to take as much life as you can get and run with it.  Enjoy life, share life, be life to others.  The lessons you have come through may be the lessons you can share with others and make their challenging times a little less daunting.  

Life can be full of hard knocks, but each hard knock is a knock on the door of opportunity.  Yes that may sound corny, but it's so true.  Embrace challenges and know that growth, knowledge, strength, and stamina are going to come out of each one.  Remember you are here right now because you are supposed to be here right now.  Walk in your destiny and share your life with others.