Friday, February 27, 2015

On the road again.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83525200@N07/12118252713
And so begins a new adventure.  There are people to see and places to go.  There are roads that have been less traveled and roads that have the pavement worn down to almost nothing.  You might be going through land as flat as a pancake or as mountainous as the top of the Himalayans. No matter what the terrain looks like, getting back on the road is always a good thing.

My question for you today is this:  if in fact getting or staying on the road is such a good thing, why then are there so many people who refuse to do it?  I mean, there are people all around who simply refuse to move forward in anything.  To say they are stuck in their own ways is an understatement.  Come hell or high water they are bound and determined to stay put, and there is not a single thing in the world that will get them to move off the spot they currently occupy.  Now this is all and good if in fact you are in the right place.  If you know that you know that you are walking in your destiny, then great, there should be nothing that would take you off course.  However, there are far more people who are still waiting on their destiny verses those who are currently walking in it.

We are entering a season where opportunity will make itself known to you if you will simply open up and listen.  Too many times people doubt that still small voice that is in each of us.  I have said this many, many times in the past,  the heart is incapable of lying to you.  When in doubt always follow your heart.  Certainly there will be times when the direction of the heart is not going to make any sense to you, but follow it you must, or suffer the consequences.  I dare say that the heart is never going to tell you to simply sit back and never move forward.  Complacency is death to a vision or dream.  There should never be a time when we forget about our dreams and simply let them wilt on the vine.  If you are unwilling to get moving, to get back on the road again, then your dreams will wither up and die, and that my friends is an absolute travesty.

I have sat on dreams and sat on dreams, never moving forward, and what did that get me?  Nothing!! I guess I sat on dreams because I was afraid.  I guess I sat on dreams because I was not confident in my abilities, nor was I comfortable admitting the grandness of those dreams.  I had let my low self-image dictate what I could or couldn't do, and the only thing that got me was stagnation and a whole lot of sadness.  It wasn't until I took the time to get to know the real me that things began to spring forward.  I took the time to understand the foundation of who and what I was and then like a lightening bold things began to happen.

Getting back on the road is taking the time to understand the real you.  It is knowing without a shadow of doubt that you are here in the right time, and that there is nothing that could change the fact that you have something that you are supposed to accomplish.  I talk to people every day who know there is more to them then simply living each day doing the same thing, and never having or experiencing the true thrill of life.  These same people have been trapped on a continuous circle, like a round-about, simply going in circles and never getting to the final destination.  After a while people will simply park the car, get out of it, lock the doors, and never move again.  These very same people are the ones who wonder why life sucks so bad.  Well hell, you've given up on your dreams, how else is life supposed to be if you give up on your dreams?

It is time to get back on the road again, and this time head out with the understanding that the adventures you are about to undertake will change your life forever.  How many people do you know who simply get into a car and not have a destination in mind.  If you got up this morning would you step out of your house, into your car, and simply wait for direction?  Probably not.  If you decide to get up, get ready, and then step outside to get into your vehicle, it's probably because you plan to run to the market, do errands, or maybe have brunch with a dear friend.  You know what the plan is, and when you start the car, you proceed to the first destination.  Certainly there may be times when you throw in an extra stop or two, but the basis for your trip is laid out before you put the car in drive.

You know what the destination is, you simply need to start moving in that direction.  If there is a bump along the way, a distraction, a detour, simply navigate it and get back to the original plan.  I've hardly ever had things go 100 percent as planned, but that doesn't mean that I completely threw out the original plan and simply stood still.  I moved forward and eventually got to my destination.  Well this is what you need to do, get started and as they say, roll with the punches.  If something comes up, make the decision in the moment what you will do, but by all means don't just sit and wait for the time to be perfect before you set out on your trip.  Waiting for the perfect time is nothing more then a formula for stagnation, and ultimately the death nail on your dreams.

It's time to get back on the road, and this time allow your heart to set the course.  Allow your intuition to lead you in the right direction.  Allow your dreams to open up in front of you and show you a vista like no other.  It is your time to experience the thrill of the open road and then who knows where you will end up.  I can tell you this:  where ever you end up is probably going to look a whole lot nicer then the place you might be in right now.  Safe journeys and know that there is always someone looking out for you.


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

I am not a doormat.

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Kindly do not use me as a doormat!  I am not a "kick me around the place, anytime you want to" kind of person.  I have value and I have a right to be the person I was intended to be.  If you don't like who I am, well tough crap.  I don't have to be you, and you certainly don't have to be me.

Wow, people must think I'm about to go on a tirade.  Truth be told I'm perfectly fine, but what I want to talk about today is that we have allowed others to dictate our own actions for far too long and it is time for you to take the stand that you are no longer going to be any one's "doormat".

We all know the saying "Do as I say, not as I do" is the height of hypocrisy.  It is the double standard of all double standards.  If you want to get on my bad side, not that I really have a bad side, simply a figure of speech, but if you want to get my dander up simply make that statement.  Someone so foolish as to use that statement to get stuff done around the office or workplace is simply not worthy to have that position.  I really look on with amazement when I see people who act this way.  They gain their worth by the position they hold instead of having worth in who they are first.  I have said this so many times in the past, but I'm going to say it again anyway: If you do not see yourself as good enough when you are a bottom of the ladder employee, then you will still not see yourself as good enough even when or if you occupy the CEO's chair.  We are not what we do.  Let me say that again just in case you didn't get it.  You are not what you do.  You might be a function of what you do, but that is not who you really are.  Until such time as you grab onto and hold on to the fact that you are a divine creation, you are going to be used as a doormat.

I received a very hard driving email from a friend the other day.  I have been following her progress as she navigates the very treacherous waters of being a very dynamic women who knows who she is and isn't afraid to show it.  When I first got the email I was a little taken back, but after some reflection what she was saying to me was correct, albeit with minor corrections, but we won't go there right now.  Anyway, she realizes that a strong dynamic women is more often than not labeled as a "bitch" or something similar as a descriptor.  She's not a "bitch", she simply has a great grasp on who and what she is, and she isn't going to let others take away what is rightfully hers.  I applaud her for her efforts and I am overjoyed at the progress she is making walking out her destiny.  It would have been so easy for me to take a defensive posture over the email, but what would that have done for me?  She was speaking to me out of love, and if I took it any other way, then I would have been operating out of something other than love.  Heck, sometimes love hurts, but sometimes you need a little kick in the ass to remind you of who you really are.

Each person is going to have to face this sooner or later, and I recommend that you do it much sooner then later.  I have allowed people to walk over me for way too many years.  I allowed that to happen because I had such a low opinion of myself and I figured bad behavior toward me was better then no behavior at all.  I have since learned over the years that I don't deserve to be treated like someone's lackey, and I refuse to accept that position.  So now my response is "Go away."  Simply go away, and don't come back until you can see who I really am, and that I just might have something of value to share with you if you will lay down your pride for a minute and simply be human.

You are not a doormat.  Your worth as an individual is beyond description, and I can tell you that until the cows come home, but until you believe it for yourself, you will continue to be walked on, and that is going to leave you matted and dirty.  So here is my question for today: what are you going to do with this new insight?  Are you going to continue on doing things the way you may have been doing them, or are you going to tell those who want to push you around to simply "go away"?  There comes a time in everyone's life when they are going to have to answer this question for themselves.  I hope and pray that you are coming to that point in time when you are going to ask yourself if being a door mat is all that it's cracked up to be.

We all have value, and even though you may not have discovered this truth yet doesn't change the fact that you have value to the rest of humanity.  Your value begins with knowing who and what you are.  Those people who have not taken the time to get to know you are the same people who will try to wipe their feet on you.  They don't know any better, and they don't know any better because they really don't have a clue as to who they really are.  I guess you have to give them a little benefit of the doubt, but let's face it, people like that often refuse to change.  Don't become one of those.  Take some time and come to a firm conclusion of your worth.  Stand tall and proud and refuse to be anyone's doormat.  It may cause friction in the interim, but rest assured when the dust settles you will be the one who is victorious and those who want to trample on you will ultimately be the ones who get trampled upon.


Monday, February 23, 2015

When the end is just the beginning.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48573253@N00/3207804644
It's the end of the line.  You've done all you can do, tried everything you could think of, given it your all.  What do you do next?  You simply move on knowing that you are at the beginning of a new adventure.  There is no such thing as an end.  Many people profess that they are at the end of their rope, the end of their journey, the end of whatever it is that they were hoping for.  Truth be told, what many classify as the end is nothing more then a launching pad to your next thing or endeavor.

I am reading a wonderful book right now and  it is about the ability to let go of things.  Release the past, whether it be hurt, failure, pain, even some of the good that may have come to your life.  When we hold on to things that no longer serve us it only keeps us locked in places that we really don't want to be in.  I for one have had to learn this the hard way, but I am making strides in this area each passing day.  But I digress.

If you believe as I do that time is nothing but an illusion, as Einstein said, then can you ever be at the end.  I mean if time is nothing more then something that man created to provide him a reference point, then isn't it safe to assume that you can create your own timeline, even if it is in direct contradiction to what the rest of society thinks?  We have so screwed ourselves by trying to adhere to what other people feel is the right time to do this or do that.  We have abdicated our rightful place and instead we have lined the streets with a lot of worry, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and then we continue to go down the same street each and every day.  It's a wonder more people don't go mad, but I digress again.

So what do I mean when I say that the end is simply the beginning?  It's really simple:  we keep going, and going, and going.  We never stop.  There will never be a time in our lives when we stop evolving.  There will never be a time in our lives when we can simply just sit back and say that it is finished.  Even at the time of our eventual death we continue to exist.  We are spiritual beings, and that means that we are eternal.  We have always been and will always be.  Certainly the day will come when this mortal body gives out, but then we are on to our next adventure.  The same can be said about our earthly experience.  When we finish one task, one lesson, it is time to move on to the next one.

I will give you that not everything we experience in life is pleasant.  There are things that we all go through that we would like to forget about.  No matter what we go through, it is always a learning process, and with each new experience comes understanding and growth.  So even if you are at the end of your rope, simply find the good in what has transpired and use it to move you forward.  Moving forward is really the only option you have since there is no such thing as an end.

Let me give you an example and see if this does not hit home.  You are traveling on a train to a certain destination.  You are about to come into the last stop on the line, what do you do?  If in fact this is the end of the line, you can either get out of the train and merrily go to the place you were destined to go, or you can simply sit on the train and do nothing.  If you do nothing, then I guess maybe you have come to the end of the line, but is it really the end of the line?  I mean, you have a place to go, otherwise why would you have gotten on the train in the first place.  The train you just traveled on was nothing more then a vehicle to get you where you wanted to be.  Even though the train has come to a stop, that doesn't mean your adventure has.  Are you beginning to see what I am saying?  There is no end.  We use the train to get us to our final destination, but if you never get off the train, then you never get to where you were first intending to go.

Even if life has tossed you situations that have been lousy, that does not mean that all is lost, and it certainly doesn't mean that you are going to be stuck on the train forever.  You need to pick yourself up, stop off the train and simply continue to move toward the final destination.  When I take the train from Portland to Boston, I am not taking the train just to ride to Boston.  There are things that I am planning on doing while in town.  When I get off the train in Boston, that's when my adventure really begins.  This is life.  When you have been tossed about by every manner of crap in your life, simply realize that this is the end of the line, and it's time to get off the train and really let the adventure begin.

So what's next?  Will you simply stay put and refuse to move, or are you going to step off the train and really experience those things that you need to experience while on this journey?  You can stay put, but then you will have traveled a long, long way for nothing.  If I simply stayed on the train in Boston and never got off, I would have wasted an awful lot of time for nothing.  Instead I step off the train and now I get to experience all that Boston has to offer, and I really get to enjoy my time there.  The decision is yours.  Will you stay seated, or will you do the only logical thing and step off the train and into the excitement that comes when you arrive at your destination?  You see, the end is really the beginning, and what an adventure you will have when you allow yourself the opportunity to step off that train that has reached the end of the line.  Have a great trip, and let me know how it goes.


Friday, February 20, 2015

Seasons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8457200@N02/6258430587
We all go through different phases in our life. We begin as babies, move up to adolescents, and ultimately make it to adulthood.  Within each of these different phases of life, there are also different seasons that each of us go through.  Some of these seasons are sunny and warm, and others are like the winter we are having here in Maine this year, cold, piles and piles of snow, and no let up in sight.  There is however, a time for each season of our life, and we need to accept these seasons and learn, or as the picture says, accept the gift that each season has for us.

Most every person I know has a favorite season during the year.  Some like Spring, as it is a time of new life and growth.  Others like the hot summer, if only to forget about the cold, cold winter that just happened, and will happen again in only a few short months.  I for one love fall.  I love the changing colors, the crispness in the air, and of course the New England Patriots.  Sorry, just had to throw that in there.  No matter what season is your favorite there are reasons you prefer one season over the other.  It would be great if we could freeze either time or weather patterns, and just lock ourselves into the one season we like most.  We all know that this is not an option, but we should also realize that the seasons we go through in life, even if we are not thrilled to have them thrust upon us, are things that we need, and from them will come knowledge and wisdom.

I have been through many difficult seasons in my life, but I would not trade any of them, for they have brought me to the place that I am in right now, doing the things I am doing right now.  It's not always easy to see the good in the seasons we go through, but they do serve a purpose.

I was walking out of my house yesterday to run a few errands and as I was going down the front steps I felt that drop of melting ice run down my neck.  I hate that more than anything and I just stood there wishing that winter was over.  I despise the cold, but at the same time I realize that it is a necessary evil.  As I got into my car to head out I began to think about what each changing season meant.  Each season does bring about change, change that needs to come at certain times to continue the life process of this planet.  I began to see more clearly that the seasons we go through are also there to help us with our own life process, and without these changes in season then sooner or later things would come to a screeching halt.

Now it's impossible to pinpoint when each season begins or ends.  I know that it began to get cold here in Maine toward the latter part of November, but the exact date escapes me.  I know that I have been through many periods in my life that have been there to teach me something, but I can't give you a date as to when those lessons began or ended.  The dates are not what is important, but rather the knowledge that you are going from one season to the next.  With each successive season we leave one phase of life and enter another one.  If you think that the time will come when you no longer have to deal with the changing seasons in life, then you are mistaken.  I am looking forward to spring, and we all need to look forward to the changing seasons in each of our lives.  If you are able to gain knowledge and wisdom from the changing seasons, then that should be your motivation to accept the changing seasons you will go through.

The question most people ask is why.  Why am I going through what I am going through?  Why can't things just be normal for a while?  So I guess that leads me to this question, what is normal?  Is it normal to have piles of snow in my front yard that are nine feet tall?  I mean in the last ten years we have never had this, but does that make it an abnormal winter here in Maine?  It is what it is, and what you are going through right now is what it is.  Find the lesson, the knowledge, the wisdom, for these are truly gifts.  Certainly it may not seem like a gift when that drop of water falls down my neckline, but it just proves that the temperature is changing, and soon the nine feet of snow will melt away and once again I will see grass.

Seasons are here to get you to the point or place you need to be in.  They may not always be pleasant, but there is a purpose, and with purpose comes resolve, and with resolve comes change.  Given the option to move from winter to spring, or to stay in winter, what do you think I am going to choose?  Going from one season in your life to the next is your choice.  You can choose to stay right where you are at, but if you do that, you are making a monumental mistake.  Even if the season you are in right now is not of your choosing, you can choose to accept the wisdom that will come from it.  I did not choose for there to be so much snow here this year, but I can look forward to the spring all that much more each time I see the piles in my front yard.

Embrace the changing seasons in your life and accept the fact that because you are going through them you are gaining invaluable knowledge and experience for things that may not have been revealed to you yet, but that are on the horizon.  Sometimes we are not given the entire picture of our life for fear that you will run away from things.  The seasons we go through are there to prepare you for what lies ahead.  Accept these seasons and embrace what will come after they depart.  Don't be afraid, we all go through these times, and with each new season comes newness of life.

Embrace the changing seasons and know that only good will come from them.  I know that spring is right around the corner and then this winter will be just a memory.




Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Somewhere over that evasive, almost lost rainbow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21925196@N08/3707864622
Why have so many people given up on their dreams?  Why have we let others rob us of the one thing we want most in life?  Why, if we dare to dream, do we not see the end result the way we dream of seeing it?  I have to think that one of the greatest travesties in this life is leaving this existence never fulfilling the dreams we had.  You talk about walking around empty, I have to believe that most of that emptiness is because you have yet to fulfill the dreams you have, and there is nothing that can ever occupy the space that your dreams occupy.

I am such a believer that we have dreams for one purpose and one purpose only, to fulfill them.  It would be ludicrous to think that the Creator of the Universe would bury us in dream after dream, if we were not intended to have what we dream about.  And yet, there are people who give up time and time again, never realizing a single dream.  That is sad, oh so very sad.  Well today is a new day, and with each new day comes new opportunity and possibilities.  To that you should be jumping up and down for joy.

What have you dreamt about?  What is the one little secret you have that you have never shared with anyone for fear they would think you mad for desiring such a thing?  What is the single most important thing to you in your life, that if it were to appear in this very instant, you would be changed forever?  These are questions that only you can answer, but the sooner you answer them the sooner you can get that monkey off your back, that wants to tell you everyday what a failure you are, and why you will never have what you want most in this life.

I'm going to make a few statements here, and some will like what I have to say, others will be mad as hornets, but maybe getting mad about something is just what is called for right now.  First: dreams are divinely inspired, and you have them because they are for you.  Second:  the single most limiting factor, when it comes to dream fulfillment, is your unbelief.  Yep, you simply don't believe the dream is for you.  That being said, I have to ask the question:  if the dream was not meant for you, then why are you having it?  Dreams come from the subconscious mind out of reach of everyday fodder.  Thirdly: if God placed this dream in you, then you are worthy of having it, period, case closed, end of story.  It saddens me beyond belief when I see or talk to people who feel as though they are not good enough to have the things they hold deeply inside.  There is this disconnect that says that dreams are for everyone else on the planet besides them.  The sooner you realize that you are worthy, simply by virtue of your existence, then the sooner you can grab your dreams and run with them.

Somewhere over that rainbow is a land of beauty, a land of plenty, and a land of fulfillment.  Do you believe that, or do you feel as though it is for someone else and not you?  Worthiness is not predicated on your pedigree, it is not based on where you live, or where you come from.  Worthiness is not set aside for only a select few.  Worthiness is not based on some merit system where you gain points for doing good, or receive demerits for every, "shit", "damn", and "hell" that comes flying out your mouth, thank God LOL.  Worthiness is your birth right, and once you realize this, then it is easy to believe that your dreams are your birth right as well.

I live each day with my dream of helping others achieve their dreams.  I am in love with people, so much so that not a day goes by that I do not think about destiny and how to help those in search of their destiny find it.  Oh how I wish everyone walking the planet knew their own worthiness and why the dreams they have are there for a reason.  The look on the face of someone when they finally realize their dream is priceless.  The energy that comes forth from those who are realizing their dreams is so thick you could cut it with a knife.  Conversely, the negative energy that comes from those who cannot believe in, nor even recognize their own dreams, is palpable.  

You see, the "dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true.", but not until you know that they are for you, and you are so special that no one else can have your dreams.  Each dream is as unique as the person that has them.  Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly, and as the song goes, why can't you?  What a great moment to realize that you will fulfill your dreams, not because of what you do, but because of who and what you are.  Destiny picks you, and you should shutter each time you realize just how powerful that is.  Your dreams were placed in you to get you one step closer to your destiny, and your destiny has been planned out since the beginning of time.  It is time to grasp the enormity of your being here right now.

Dreams do come true, not because of luck or anything like that, but because dreams were manufactured for one reason only:  to place you where you need to be when you need to be there.  Funny how things work out, right?  Hold on to your dreams and realize that they will come to pass, and you will have all you dream in a manner that will blow you away.  Dare to dream, but be more daring by helping others fulfill their dreams as well.


Monday, February 16, 2015

Am I my brother's keeper?

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Just what are you responsible for while walking on this planet?  Granted you may not be responsible for a war that is taking place halfway around the world.  You certainly had nothing to do with the tornado that was ripping across the mid-west.  So what are you responsible for?  Some would say that our responsibility rest in doing what is best for ourselves, and making sure that we take care of those who we are responsible for.  So that leads me back to my original question, who are you responsible to?  If you have a family, certainly you are responsible for providing your children what they need to live each day.  There's a certain responsibility to your aging parents.  How you decide to handle those issues is up to you, but there still is a sense of responsibility that you should be there for them in their old age.

Aside from immediate family and close associates and friends, is there anyone else you are responsible for?  I guess if you own a company or business you would say that you are responsible for your employees.  They deserve a safe and secure environment in which to work, and an honest day's wage for an honest day's work.  They deserve to know that you stand behind them and that you see things much the same way they do, that this company is important and they are just as big a piece of it as you are.  OK, so besides those we have already mentioned, who else are you responsible for?  Or more aptly put, what else are you responsible for?

The very first thing you are responsible for is knowing the real you.  Failure to do this makes everything else in this world a mute point.  I know I go on and on, and on about this, but this is the foundation that everything else you ever do will be built upon.  Once you have come to the conclusion that you are divine, and that you are here for a real purpose, then and only then can you become to others what they need most.  What is it that they need most?  They need you to be authentic, real, not some made up person that you think you should be, or that you think others want. No, you need to be who you were intended to be, with every mistake you ever made, with every missed opportunity, with all the ups and downs that you have experienced in life.  This is the person the rest of the world needs you to be, and this is the person who in fact will be his or hers brother's keeper.

You see you do have a responsibility to the rest of humanity.  No matter what you do in this life, there is always going to be someone who is depending on you being the person you were intended to be, doing the things you were intended to do.  We do, we teach, we give, and all of this comes from what others have taught us, what we have picked up from them, and what we have witnessed.

There is no doubt that there are many different beliefs in this world.  Many of these beliefs have led to conflict and war, and others have simply left us wondering what in the world is going on.  Until such time as individuals learn who they are there will always be conflict because conflict emerges because of ego, and ego is the destroyer of all that is good or intended to be good in this world.  The only way we are ever going to get out of this trap is to get the ego under control, and the only way that is going to happen is to know who and what you are.

You are your brother's keeper inasmuch as you are responsible for knowing the real you.  You are your brother's keeper in displaying the authenticity that is you.  You are your brother's keeper because you have something that others need, and that something will help them become the person they were intended to be.  There is nothing insignificant about you, and whether you run a huge company, or simply smile at someone walking down the street, you bring to this planet the key to other's destiny.  There can be no missed opportunities when it comes to being the real you.  You may never see the outcome to what you have done for someone else, but rest assured what you have done for someone else will certainly come back into the mix down the road as they step out into their destiny.

Here is a simple truth:  you, the real you, has a task to fulfill.  You are the only one who can do it, and there is no one who was ever intended to take your place.  Certainly this is a big responsibility, but it never would have been given to you had you not had what it takes to complete the task.  Forget about trying to measure up to someone else's expectations of you.  They may have designs on what they feel you should do, but ultimately you are the only one who can be the person you were meant to be, touching the lives of those you were intended to touch.  There is nothing small about you, and there is no reason to measure yourself against anyone else.  The time has come for you to take a step forward and accept your charge.  There are people who need what you have, need what you do, and need who you are.  Yes, you are your brother's keeper, and like it or not, this is a responsibility you will not be able to get out of, and for that I am truly grateful.


Friday, February 13, 2015

Releasing the past, so one can enter the future.

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Releasing the past is often the most rewarding thing you will ever do, especially when your past is not allowing you to walk into your future.  I have been so guilty of this, and only recently have I been able to release some things that truly needed to be let go of.  I would hold on to things in the hopes that what I thought I really wanted or desired would come back to me.  I learned the hard way that the only way to get what you want is to be able to release it. I know that may seem counter-productive to many people, but it is the only way to get out of the trap of always living in the past, always wondering what could have been, and always being behind when all you want is to be out in front of it all.

I don't claim to know or even understand what every single person walking the earth is going through at the moment.  What could be life changing to one, is simply a blip on the screen for someone else.  We all tend to handle situations differently, and that comes from being unique individuals.  There is however a constant with most people, and that constant is the inability to set things free.  Those chains that you continue to allow to bind you up, hold you down, are the chains that need to be cut away.  Unless you are able to do this, you will forever be in a prison cell without any possibility of parole.

I will say that most people who are unable to let go of the past, are the very same people who have yet to fall in love with themselves.  Now I'm not talking about falling in love like one does with their partner, husband, wife, or significant other.  What I'm saying is that there are countless people who do not love themselves.  This lack of self-love is what keeps them in a constant state of always needing to hold on to things.  The truth of the matter is that if we understood our greatness, then love would come easy, and then letting go would be as easy as melting butter on a hot skillet.

Now here is where it becomes complicated and almost like a catch-22.  The reason most people can't love themselves is because they have yet to let go of the things of the past, and they can't let go of the things of the past because they don't love themselves.  Quandary?  You bet it is, but there is an answer and if you will think about what I am about to say, then you will be on your way to solving many of the issues that have plagued you thus far.

Self-loving is nothing more than knowing who and what you are.  I know I am beating a dead horse by talking about who and what you are again, but when it comes down to it, knowing your divinity and accepting it, is the only way you will ever cut away those chains that have been draped over you for far too long.  Let me give you an example and see if this does not shine some light on things.  It's a Thursday afternoon, and you know that tomorrow is Friday which means the weekend is just around the corner.  Is there any doubt in your mind that Friday follows Thursday?  Do you ever wonder if the weekend is going to go away?  Of course not.  You have lived every Thursday of your life and Friday has always showed up on time.  There is not a doubt in your mind that it will continue  this way forever.  If you can believe that the days of the week will never change, because you have always lived it, then why can't you believe that you are a product of love, created by the Creator of the Universe, and divine in every aspect?  When you can believe in your divinity with the same degree that you believe that Friday will follow Thursday, then you will be able to release the things of the past and move into your future.

Just for a moment I want you to think about a life that is free from worry, free from fear, free from the past, and free to explore the future.  How would life be different if you were able to do this?  This is the life that you should be experiencing, and this is where I want to take you.  Most people who are unable to release their past are doomed to continue on this destructive loop.  They go from one crisis to another, and instead of trying to get out of it, they only think in terms of when the next crisis will show up.  I'm telling you that when you are able to accept that you are love, brought about by love, and are free to love and be loved, then you will know without a shadow of doubt that nothing from your past will stop you from walking in your future.

Love is patient, love is kind.  Love is yours, and you are love.  It is time to release the past and walk into your future.  You are deserving of every manner of goodness.  You were created with perfection and in that perfection you were placed here for a specific reason.  Why not accept these truths and begin to let go of your past worries, past hurts, failed love, and missed opportunities.  You can infect wipe the slate clean and begin fresh, and let's face it, a fresh start is something very, very special.  Begin to accept the love in your life, the fact that you are loved, and that there is nothing that will ever change that.  As sure as Friday will follow Thursday, so to are you loved.  Hold fast to this and see if your future does not come to your bright, shining, and full of all you ever wanted or ever dreamed of.