Step into your freedom.

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The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.  Stepping out into your freedom begins with your willingness to be free.  I guess that raises the question, what is freedom, and what does my freedom look like?  To many that have been trapped in the expectations of others, they might not know what freedom looks like.  To the many people who have never taken a step to walk in freedom, freedom to be who you were always intended to be, this is your day.

I know I sound like a broken record each time I reiterate that you were never meant to simply exist.  You were never intended to be trapped in the confines of what others have said you can either do or not do.  Walking in your freedom will allow you to soar with the eagles. Walking in your freedom will ensure that you discover your True Destiny, and that you bring to the rest of humanity the greatness that resides inside of you.  So many people have been saddled with thoughts of limit.  People have been told for generations what is right, or what is wrong, what you can, and what you can't do.  When you are subject to the expectations of others, you are anything but free.  If you are ever going to be truly free to walk about in your greatness, with your divinity, then you are going to have to break the shackles of expectations, and walk free.  For many it may be the first time you have given thought to freedom.  For others, it may be something you have struggled with for years, and years.  Either way, today is the day that you break loose, and finally begin to walk in your freedom.

Some might ask, what does freedom look like?  Freedom is when you are able to do what you have always wanted to do, but because of what others think, you have never taken a chance.  Freedom is knowing that no matter what might be in front of you, you are going to be the person you know you need to be.  Freedom is never accepting the limiting thoughts that others have forced down your throat, and that many have come to accept as the norm.  My dear, dear friends, we have so bound ourselves up in the chains of expectations, that we have never taken our first steps into absolute freedom.  Let's be honest, this has to change.  There are so many things that I want to accomplish, and if I am going to get to each of these things that I want to do, I can not be trapped by the words of others, who quite frankly have never experienced true freedom.

We have all been held captive in one way or another most of our lives.  There are groups of people who have literally been held captive.  Ask these people what life was like without any freedoms at all.  When one is held in captivity, by force, or even by our own choices, there is often a feeling of hopelessness.  Each day in captivity is another day of fear, a day of loss, a day of sadness.  When one is trapped in a cycle of captivity, there descends upon them a cloud of darkness, when what they really need is a light to show them the right path to take.  I have been held captive many times in my life.  Getting out of this trap was difficult, but there is a way out, and if you will change the way you see yourself, you will never be held again, and then, you will be free for evermore.

There will come a time when you are going to have to finally decide how you see the real you, or if you are going to ever accept the real you.  The real you is divine.  The real you is a creator, responsible for creating the life of your dreams.  If I had the ability to simply flip a switch and each of you would fully walk in your divinity I would certainly do that.  If I could take away all the restrictions that you have subjected yourself with, I would do that.  If I could simply love you to a point where you knew without a doubt that you are something special, I would do that.  Oh, I love each of you, but sometimes people can't see the forest because of the trees.  There comes a time when one will have to decide:  do I stay where I'm at, or do I finally walk in the freedom that I was always intended to walk in?

Stepping into your freedom begins with accepting certain truths.  Unfortunately, many of these truths have been denied by many, many people.  These denials are a by product of the conditioning you have been subjected to most of your life.  You are so much more than just a flesh and blood body.  You are a spiritual being first and foremost.  You are a creator.  You are an infinite being, one who has no end.  These simple truths, or facts, once accepted, will ensure that you never ever spend a single moment in captivity again.  I don't know how many times I have been catapulted back into captivity because I could not walk in my uniqueness.  How many times have you been trapped in periods of uncertainty because you forgot who and what you really are?  I'm here to tell you that freedom is yours if you will accept the greatness of your being, the perfection of your design, and the truth of your existence.

There should never be a time when you forget who you are.  There should not be a moment in your life when you doubt the true beauty of your being.  There will come a time when you finally decide that you will be the real you, and not the you that everyone else has demanded you be.  Freedom is yours.  Freedom is forever.  Freedom is for right now.  Step into your freedom, and breaks all the limiting beliefs that have held you captive.  I know what captivity is like, and I have felt the euphoria of walking in freedom.  I assure you that freedom is what you should choose, and freedom is what you deserve.  Walk free my friends, and teach others the importance of walking free from the expectations of others.  Your life will change when you finally accept this freedom, and once you do, oh how grand life will be for you.  Sending you love and light.

Let it go.

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We as humans tend to hold on to things much longer than we should.  We've been taught that we need to learn from past experiences, and as true as that may be, we don't have to hold on to certain things that no longer serve us.  Many people hold on to past hurts as a way of mitigating future hurts.  People like to hold on to traditions, and I have my share of those, but why not incorporate those traditions into new ones?  The purpose of today's blog is to get you to walk free from expectations, untie the binds that keep you bound, and finally let go of all those things that have done nothing to get you to your destiny.

There are far too many times in life that we hold on to things that just don't add up to a hill of beans.  When we hold on to anger, justified or not, we only hurt ourselves.  When you focus on the anger, you are taking your eyes off of the real reasons things are going on.  When we can't let go of worry, we are stopping what is best from coming into being.  As the picture says when we hold on to distractions, we are doing nothing to keep our feet on the path to all of our hopes and dreams.  Letting go of all that no longer serves you is the only way to be free.  It is the only way to your destiny, and it is the only way you are ever going to experience real love, real peace, real joy, and true enlightenment.

Entering into any new phase of life is not always smooth sailing.  The torrent of past hurts, past failures, past hopes and dreams, seems to always be popping up for us to look at.  As we grow in our own understanding of who and what we are, we will face challenges.  Those challenges are simply having to let go of things that have happened, when many want to hold on to them.  I will say that this is one tough thing to get through, but getting through is really the only option you have if you truly desire to move forward in those things you desire most.

All my life, and I've said this before many times, I've had to fight the feeling of not being worthy.  Not worthy of love, not worthy of abundance, not worthy of success.  I really can't pinpoint when or why I began struggling with this, but it has caused many nights of worry, countless days of depression, and endless hours of tears.  It seems like whenever you start believing for all the good, that thoughts of all that is bad creep back into your mind.  Because of this, it becomes so, so important to step back and remind yourself of your perfection.  You are here for a purpose, and you are divine.  As I write this today I am experiencing waves of compassion, knowing that others are going through the very same things, and how I desire to help them escape these pitfalls.  Life, your life, my life, was never meant to be an experiment in survival.  Our lives were never designed just to see how much we can take, and hopefully in the end, end up on the positive side of the ledger.  My dear loved ones, we were meant to create a paradise to live in.  We were not designed to suffer lack, or sickness, or depression, or any other of the myriad of things that keep us down.

When you let go of the hopes for tomorrow, you let go of any hope for being the real you.  When you constantly hold on to the defeats, hurts, and stumbles of the past, you are simply inviting the same to keep going in the present.  No one longs for defeat.  No one, at least no sane person, gets up in the morning asking for failure, seeking hurt, or desiring lack.  We continually experience these things because we have not found a way to let go of these things.  Letting go has to be your focus, and I will readily admit, that has been my struggle.  Only now, after years and years of holding on to things, have I turned the corner, and began to realize who and what I am.  In accepting your divinity, in walking in the knowledge that "I am what I am", you will begin to let go of all those things that have hindered you in the past, and begin to walk on a path that has always had your name written on it.

It is time to let go of things.  It is time to accept your birthright.  It is time, quite frankly, to kick a little ass, and no longer feel as though you don't have rights and privileges.  You as a created being need to understand the significance of your being.  You as a created being, need to accept your ability to create all of your realities.  You as a created being need to be creating.  I've allowed my past to dictate my future for far too long, and many, many others have done the same thing.  Let go of the past.  Let go of the fear.  Let go of the anxiety.  Simply let go of all that does not serve your higher good.

Allow me to end with this final thought.  Most everyone has heard the saying, "Let go, and let God".  We get in our own way far too often.  When you can let go of the past, you are allowing yourself to walk into your tomorrows.  When you let go of the past, you free yourself to have all that you were intended to have.  Believe it or not, I needed to hear what I'm writing about this morning.  I am confident that there are others out there who need to hear this today.  It is my heartfelt desire that each of you take your rightful place.  It is my intention to help others discover the significance of who they are, what they are, and why they are here.  Set the intention that you are going to let go of the past, and only focus on what is truly important.  I send each of you love and light, and I know that each of you are going to take a step forward, never to worry again about those things that are behind you.

Making truth be your reality.

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What's real?  We live in a world where we ask this question all the time.  Is what we are seeing real, or is it just an illusion?  Are the things we go through real, or are they simply illusions as well?  We have so many ways to escape reality.  Some will get lost in video games, some will sit and escape into a movie or television show.  Many will try to take a journey through a good book.  How do you escape?  Do you try to escape?  Is there really a reason to escape?  Lots of questions I know, but what I want to do this morning is get you to think about those things that aren't really real, yet we allow them to control our lives, and thereby control our actions.

Sadly, many things that are true never become our reality because we don't believe they are true.  I have been reading a book, The I am Discourse, and it has caused me to rethink my truths and my reality.  This is the fifth or sixth time I have read this book.  It's written in a way that is quite difficult to understand, and if you have ever picked it up to read you will know what I mean.  That being said this last time reading it has gotten easier.  You almost have to read it like it were shorthand, and simply go for the meaning.  There's a whole lot of broken and thee and thou sentences, but after about the forth or fifth time you read it the pieces begin to fall into place.

I want to give you fair warning this morning, so hold tight.  Much of what I am going to share with you may seem unreal.  It may stretch your belief systems.  It may even scare you.  Rest assured I have meditated on this for years, and only now am I finally beginning to get a handle on it.  Keep in mind that we have been conditioned since birth to believe certain things, not believe certain things, and told that we can't do certain things.  This all came from well intentioned people, but truth is, most of it was wrong.  If you are unable to accept the truth of your essence, the truth of your being, then you will be living in a world that is not based on reality, but based on falsehoods, and those falsehoods are the things that have kept you from living your authentic life.  Your authentic life is what is best.  Your authentic life is what should put a smile on your face, and joy in your heart.  Your authentic life is what allows you to create.

What came first first, the chicken or the egg?  Men have contemplated this question for years.  We make fun of the question, but can you answer it?  What came first in your life?  Was it a single cell that split, then multiplies, and splits again, and eventually you came into being?  Are you your flesh and blood, or is the real you something that has been around since the beginning of time?  When you can grasp the significance of your creation, then and only then will you begin to accept the reality of who and what you are.  Your spirit, or soul, or essence, has always been and will always be.  We tend to think in linear terms, and this is one of the big reasons we are so limited in our ability to live our authentic life.  We only see what is in front of us, or at least what we believe is in front of us.  We tend to think about time, and allow time to dictate almost all that we do, or in some cases don't do.  Time is an illusion, something man created.  Sadly our concept of time has limited us because we feel we have to fall into the constraints of time.  Forget about time, forget about how much time you may or may not have left in this body.  When you begin to live from spirit, and not flesh, you will begin to live in your truth, your reality.  Believe it or not, your body, that thing we perceive as who we are, is not really who you are.  I know, Radical concept, right?

You are spirit.  You are energy.  As such, you will never die, and as I have said before you have always been and will always be.  All this is truth, and the sooner you turn this truth into your reality, the sooner you will begin to walk in those things that you have been dreaming about, longing for, and for many, things that you simply have not been able to let go of in your imagination, no matter how far fetched the idea might be.  We limit ourselves in life because we are limited to what we believe, and we are limited in what we believe because we have bought into the idea that we are simply human beings.  We, you, me, us, are so much more than just mere mortals.  Has believing that you are just you, and not something much, much more, gotten you to where you want to be?  Have you experienced the ability to create anything you can dream about, or have dreamt about?  If you haven't why is that?

I know we all have struggles.  We all have people around us who are the first to say why you can or can't do something.  Not only do we have to contend with our own limiting beliefs, but we have to battle against what others tell us we either can or can't do.  The struggle is real, I get that, so why not give yourself a leg up and begin to see the real you?  The real you is spirit.  Allow the truth of who you are to become your new reality.  I have struggled with self-worth for most of my life.  I never saw myself as being worthy of wealth, prosperity, or abundance.  I never could grasp that I was here for a specific purpose.  Here's the simple truth: I never knew who I was, what I was, and what I could do.  Things changed when I was finally able to see the real me, the authentic me, the me that has been around since the beginning of time, and will be around until the end of time.  It's time to make your truth your reality.  It's time that you see you for who and what you are, and in doing so, turn your life around and begin to live what to some could only be classified as a wonderful dream life.  It's time my friends, it's really time.

And so it goes.

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I love what Robert Frost says, "Life: it goes on".  In every sense of the word, this is truth.  We are infinite beings, and as such we have no end.  Certainly this body is temporary, and it is simply a vessel for this specific time, but our essence, your spirit, is never going to die.  Now focusing on this for a while just might change the way you see things, and if it doesn't then maybe you need to take a step back and think for a bit.

I've fallen victim to asking if this is as good as it gets.  I'm quite confident when I say that I'm not the only person on the face of the earth that has asked this question.  We get wrapped around the wagon wheel at times and it seems like we are going no where.  We get pushed down with burden, and there are times when our load seems too much to bear.  The truth is, no matter what you are going through, life does go on.  There are days when we soar with the eagles, and yes life goes on.  There are times when we don't have the answers we desire, and yet life goes on.  Here's some advice when you see yourself falling into the trap of asking if this is as good as it gets:  take your eyes off of the here and now, start focusing on the eternal.  Your spirit is changeless, it is infinite, it is divine.  The real you is never going to worry if this is as good as it gets, and it already knows that life goes on.  Problem is we as pre-conditioned humans have not truly believed this, so we fall victim to the woe is me moments of life.  Hey, I've been there, so I'm not casting stones that's for sure.  What I had to do was come to the realization of who the real me was, and that is what I have to focus on.

So this of course raises the question who are you?  Are you simply a flesh and blood body?  Are you that successful exec who drives the nice car, has a huge house, and spends tons of money?  Are you that very quiet, eloquent grandmotherly type whose only thought is how do I make life better for those around me?  No matter what type of person you are, knowing the truth of who you are is where life really begins.  Once you understand the significance of your being, the beauty of your essence, the perfection of your design, then and only then can you rejoice over the fact that life indeed does go on.

My dear friends, we are spiritual beings first and foremost.  This body, as I've said before, is only temporary.  That changeless spirit, which is you, is really the only thing that is real.  Our changeless spirit is divine, infinite, and it should be our focus.  When you take your eyes off of the only thing that is changeless in your life, and instead focus on those things that are temporal, you are going to find yourself in a world of hurt.  I can almost bet dimes to donuts, that there's not one of you that haven't been there time and time again.  Let me give you an example, and although it may not be something you experience it will shed some light on what I am talking about.

When I sit down to write I can honestly say that I have no idea what my topic will be.  I simply open myself up to that changeless spirit and start typing.  I have to go back and read what I have written a day or so later so I can fully understand what was put down on paper.  When I try to write from my mind, I often get bogged down, and that's when I get "Writer's Block" .  Well writer's block is what so many people go through in life.  Their mind gets in the way, and they tend to put off listening to that changeless, perfect, infinite, divine essence that is the real them.  Their "Writer's Block" is what stops them from taking the next step.  It is the friction they feel about every day life.  Their "Writer's Block" is what keeps them up at night with worry, or stresses them out throughout the day.  We have to stop living in our minds, and instead be lead by our spirit.

Life will go on, but what will you do with that life, and more importantly, how do you want to live that life?  If you are tired of struggling each and every day, if you are beaten down by the riggers of life, do you think that just maybe it's time you changed things up a bit?  Most of the things we go through in life are a result of what we have created with our words, our thoughts, and our feelings.  Now if you are being governed by thoughts of worry, feelings of sadness, or simply talking about how life sucks, chances are you are going to continue down the same road you currently find yourself on.  If however, you begin to see the real you, the infinite you, the perfect you, I promise you that life will change.  Life will go on, the only question you need to think about is what side of life do you want to be on?  You can be on the side that decides what is going to happen, or you can be on the side that simply goes with the flow, and is just an observer.  I for one desire to be the creator, the director, the conductor of my life.  I am all those things because I am very aware of my true essence, the real me, the never changing me.  I encourage you to think about the real you.  Let go of those things that are not real, and accept all that is real.  When you begin to see the perfection of your being here right now, then you will see the perfection of all things pertaining to the real you.

And so it goes: life will go on.  It's time that you decide that you want to be a part of the beautiful, dynamic, always thrilling life, that you were intended to live since the beginning of time.  It's a wonderful thing knowing that there is no end to you.  When you take the focus off of what we have always thought was reality and place it on what is really real, your changeless spirit, then you will begin to live the life that will see all your desires manifested.  And so it goes, forever, and ever, and ever.

The real you, the real me, the real us?

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Who are you?  Who am I? Who are we?  That's a question that we've been asked many times in our lives, but the honest answer just might surprise you.  Let me start out by telling you what you aren't.  You aren't your processions.  You aren't your accomplishments.  You not even your own flesh and blood.  What you are is spirit, and the reason this is so significant is that your spirit is the only thing in you that is changeless.  That's right, your spirit is changeless, while everything else in your life is a product of change.  Why is this so important to realize?  It's important because if you are unable to recognize the real you, then you are going to fall for everything that comes down the pike that is used to describe who you are, good, bad, or indifferent.

Let's take a look at you, and maybe after a few minutes you just might come away with a new understanding of something that should be very, very important to you.  When you were born you were just a baby, with a new born's body.  As you grew up your body changed time and time again.  If you are in your twenties, or thirties, or even forties or fifties, you no longer have the body you had when you were a year old.  You don't have the body you had when you were ten, or twelve, or seventeen, or even eighteen.  Your body has changed countless times, but the one thing that hasn't changed is your spirit.  Your spirit was 100 percent complete at the time of your conception.  Everything else has changed, but not your essence.  So why is this so important to realize?  When you realize that your spirit is complete and changeless, then maybe you will come to appreciate just how incredible you are.  When you realize that your spirit is changeless, maybe you will finally understand your abilities to live your own life and not fall subject to what others demand of you.  When you finally realize that your spirit is changeless, then and only then will you assume the role of creator, a position you were always intended to be in.

I'm always amazed by those who measure everything in life against others.  My house needs to be bigger than their house, my car fancier than their car.  The need to have more money than everyone else, or simply be higher in society than your competition.  All of these examples come right from the ego, and the ego has nothing on your spirit, and why is that? Because your spirit is changeless.  Get this into your heads:  don't base your life on something that is going to be gone in the future, rather base all things on things that will never change.  It's kind of like when someone changes the rules of a game mid-way through the game, and don't you know how that screws with you.  If you will begin to focus on those things that have always been and will always be, you will soon take on the characteristics of something that has always been and will always be.  As an infinite being, you have no end.  Eventually your body, my body, every one's body is going to give out, but not your spirit.  Why would anyone want to bet on something that is going to end, when you have the option to bet on something that has no end.  I use the term "bet" metaphorically.  What I am trying to impress on you is the importance of walking in spirit.  When you understand just how powerful you are, and use that power to create the world of your dreams, I promise you that you will never again desire to hold on to those things that change like the seasons.

I've been doing a personal inventory of my life recently, and this has been spurred on by re-reading a book by Dr. Wayne Dyer titled Wishes Fulfilled.  If you haven't read this book, do yourself a favor and get it.  It can explain all that I'm writing much better and in greater detail.  The most powerful aspect of the book is explaining the importance of living your highest self.  That part of life that is being lead by your essence, which is your spirit.  When you focus on the real you things begin to change for you.  When you focus on the real you things begin to shake and move.  When you focus on the real you, you will know no end to what you can accomplish in this life.  We have been sold a bill of goods as it relates to who and what we are.  We've been conditioned since birth to believe that we have to go with the flow, and never ever rock the boat.  I like shaking things up, if for no other reason then to keep myself and others on our toes.  I am a bit of a rebel, but that's because I refuse to be crammed into a mold that someone else has said I have to fit into.  You are as individual and unique as the stars in the sky or a grain of sand on a beach.  Why in the world would you want to be forced to live up to someone else's expectations of you?

Let me give you a little hint about being the real you.  Many people who read self-help or motivational books feel as though that they have to change their personality if they are ever going to get where they want to be, or where others feel they should be.  Your personality was placed in you to help you fulfill your destiny.  Don't ever feel as though you have to change in order to fit in.  The Universe in its perfection gave you the personality you needed, don't screw things up by thinking you need to be someone different.  If someone doesn't care for your personality that's their issue not yours.  Now if you are taking on another personality to fit in, you will quickly realize that the fit is never going to happen.  I have a very strong personality, some would even say that I can be too bold at times.  I need to be bold so I can reach the masses with my story of destiny and such.  Had I changed my personality to get along better in the past I certainly would not be doing what I am doing now.  Trust in who you are.  Trust in what you are.  The real you is in there, you simply need to allow it to come out and play more often.

Your changeless spirit is your core, it is your foundation.  If you will take time to listen, feel, think about your true essence, your life will change in ways that would have seemed unimaginable just a short while ago.  Let go of man's expectations and simply know the real you.  You are light.  You are love.  You are abundant.  You are brilliant.  You are beauty, joy, and happiness all rolled up into one.  Accept your true essence and begin to walk in your destiny.  It's time you took your rightful place.

Do you have 2020 Vision?

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I know it's cliche, but as Barbara Walters would say, "This is 20/20".  I was going to take the week off from writing, but when you love something as much as I, you look for reasons, any reasons, to do what you love most, and for me, that's writing.  So I guess you are going to have to read one more blog this year, and I will attempt to launch you into the next decade with style.

If you have spent any time on social media over the last few days or weeks you would have seen post after post, meme after meme, about the New Year, and why so many people want to forget 2019.  Face it, every year we turn the corner on the old and we hope for the best for the new.  I don't know about you, but I had a pretty stellar 2019, but that doesn't mean that my hopes for the New Year are any less dwindled.  I have been preparing myself for a shift that I know is taking place.  This particular time is different however, and to be honest I can't quite put my finger on the reason why.  I think that this shift is one that I have prepared for, as it is one that has been ordained since the beginning of time.  I have, and maybe for the first time, actually come to a better understanding of who and what I am.  Funny thing about writing about one's true nature and purpose, is that you eventually pick up on what you are writing about and somehow take it on, like you were always intended to do.

Having 20/20 vision is about seeing perfectly.  Perfectly in the sense that you understand your purpose, your being, and your uniqueness.  Having a vision for 2020 is also about understanding your purpose, your being, and your absolute uniqueness.  One of the great things about entering a new year is that most people see it as a chance to start over.  We can say good-bye to whatever didn't work for us over the previous year, and we can set the intention for what we intend to do during the upcoming year.  Let me ask you this, do you even remember what it was that you were hoping for at the end of 2018?  Most people unless they wrote it down, can't tell you what it was.  Certainly most people are looking for happiness, most would say they want more money, or success in their professional life.  Some might even wish for health.  No matter what you were hoping for when you entered 2019, this is always the time of year when we reflect on things.  Most everyone has heard the expression "Hope springs eternal."  It's a fairly simple process really.  Whether you call it hope or faith, the end result is the same, if you loose either, you are never going to have what you desire most.  So it's not unusual for people to speak of hope and faith at the beginning of a New Year, but here's the kicker: are you still holding on to that same hope and faith as you prepare for the next New Year?  Did you see what you were hoping for over the past year, or was there a point in time when you just gave up on your vision?

Giving up is not something that is unheard of in life.  Many people give up on things.  Sometimes the price of getting something is not worth what the end result would bring.  Those decisions are yours alone to make.  I'm not here to tell what to believe for, how much you should believe, or even if you feel you can believe for something.  What I'm here to do is encourage you to look at things a little differently this year, and maybe through it all, you will have the breakthrough that you have been waiting your whole life for.  Let me give you a little glance into the upcoming year.  Did you know that there will be 366 days in 2020?  Did you know that each day will have 24 hours in it?  Each week will be comprised of seven days, and a cute fact, my birthday will be in August.  Ok, I know I'm being a little silly, but when you look at the upcoming year, trying to predict what is going to take place is like trying to guess the number of sand particles there are in all the beaches in the world.  It's nearly impossible, and quite frankly it's kind of a waste of time.

I know people make tons of money trying to predict what is going to happen to someone over the next year.  If that's your thing, more power to you.  I know that my year is going to be determined by how I set up the year, what my intentions are, and more importantly how I hold true to those intentions.  I've said it before, we create our reality by the words we say, the thoughts we have, and the feelings we allow.  If you want to change the outcome of the upcoming year, then change the way that you look at things.  If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got.  We can look toward the new year with hope, but if you can't set the intention, then you are going to be looking at the end of 2020, hoping for a better 2021, and thus the cycle continues.  Why not break the cycle this year and simply create your world?  We were always intended to create, not simply react.

So what is your vision for 2020?  Do you have 20/20 vision for the upcoming year?  Seeing clearly what you desire, setting the intention of what you desire, and not digressing from what you desire is the key to making or creating a stellar 2020.  Yes there may be times that we are tried, but trials or setbacks never killed anyone, they simply required some thought as how to get past them.  It's when you give up on what you desire most, that times get tough.

It's time to clearly see who and what you are.  This next year needs people to come to terms with their true essence.  When you know who and what you are, then and only then will you understand where you are going, and most assuredly, where you are going is where you were always intended to go.  Happy New Year to each of you, and I look forward to hearing about all of your triumphs over the next 12 months.

Traditions, Traditions, Traditions.

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Well we're smack dab in the middle of the holiday season and soon we will be celebrating with family and undoubtedly will be dusting off some old traditions, as well as creating new ones for the future.  As is customary for me, I will be writing to you today with some reflections of the past year, and with some advice for the upcoming year.  I will also attempt to get you perfectly situated for what is sure to be a banner 2020.

2019 has truly been a year of change for me and my family.  As most of you know my husband and I made the move from Maine to Texas. Although there are many things that we miss about our time in Maine, all 31 years of it, I am truly loving our time here, and I am looking forward to all the adventures that have already begun to germinate.  As we say good-bye to some old traditions, we will never forget them, but we are anticipating creating new ones as we get situated in our new home, our new town, and our new lives here in Texas.

Traditions are important.  Not simply because they tend to keep us tied into the past, but they allow us to remember some of the most important things in our lives.  Traditions are different for each person, and their level of importance to each person is really based on the memories that they either create or in some cases bring back to you.  Even though there are some traditions that we no longer adhere too, they still linger in our thoughts of times gone by, and what those times meant to us.  As I sit here to write this morning I am beginning to feel a shift.  This shift is much needed, and it is something that I have anticipated for quite some time.  Even though this shift will surely see some change in things, it will not alter what has taken place, nor will in nullify many of the traditions that I have held on to in life.

Often in life we are encouraged to forget about the things that have gone by, and simply focus on the future.  While this does have merit, to a degree, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater.  Traditions often bring us to a place where we remember happier times.  Traditions allow us to step back and simply enjoy moments where we can forget about all that has happened and simply enjoy the moment we are in.  It seems as though that most people during this time of year are able to forget about the turmoils of life, and simply enjoy those happier moments.  What we need to do is not wait until the end of each year to live this way.  Why not allow the upcoming new year to be the breakout year when all you focus on is you.  Focusing on you is not selfish, for in many cases focusing on you is a very selfless act.  I've written about this in the past, yet many seem to think that when we think about ourselves we are simply saying that we are the most important thing going on around us and nothing else matters.  Realize that if you can not accept all that you are, you will never be able to provide your gifts to the rest of humanity, and in reality that is why you are here in the first place.  I know this may seem a little off topic, but trust me I will bring it back together in a very coherent way, and you will thank me later for sharing all of this.

2020 is right around the corner, and with each new year many people will profess that this is the year that they will change things up.  I see it on social media already, people bemoaning what a travesty 2019 was, and how there is hope for better things in 2020.  People have made a tradition of pressing past the current year, jumping ahead to the next year, and on and on it goes each year.  Hey, I fall prey to the very same thing, thinking about the next year, but what I don't do is forget all the good that has happened, and how important it is to live in all the goodness.  We hold on to traditions because they tend to make us feel good.  Traditions bring back happy memories.  Let's be real, are you ever going to hold on to a tradition that only creates hurt and pain?  Your tradition at the end of each year should be to hold on to each lesson that was learned, even if there was pain and hurt associated with the lesson.  Your tradition should be to find the joy in each situation you went through during the past year, and focus on that joy.  Your tradition should be to shed the skin of others expectations, and simply wear your own skin.  If you attempt to be something you're not in this upcoming year, you are going to be stepping right back to the tradition of bemoaning the previous year.

If you want to change things up and create a new tradition for you and those around you, start by accepting the real you, the authentic you, the unique you.  Start 2020 by seeing more clearly than ever  before who and what you are.  As we look beyond tomorrow, we can't forget about yesterday, but yesterday can't be a chain around your neck, holding you back.  Here's one warning about traditions:  if they are holding you back from being who you were meant to be, then get rid of them.  Traditions should bring joy and happiness, never remorse of worry.  Traditions should remind us of happier times, and never put us in a place where we slip into despair.

What I desire for each of you this next year is that you will focus on you.  By doing this, you will position yourself to be of greater good for those around you.  What I desire for each of you this next year is that you will experience life to its absolute fullest and that joy and happiness surround you every moment of every day.  What I desire for each of you is that you discover more about your True Destiny, and that you begin your journey of discovery, no matter where it takes you.

Traditions are great, they are fun, and they are memorable.  Why not create some new ones this holiday season, ones that will focus on what is most important to you, and to those around you.  I leave you with this:  may life be exciting, may joy be your focus, and love be the driving force behind all that you do.  Feel the excitement, live in the joy, and spread the love.  If you will do this, then your new traditions will flow, and they will come naturally to you, and most importantly, they will last for a very long time.