Everything is better after a
good
night’s
sleep.
(or a whole series of them!)
Scientific studies have proven it.
Maybe we should have listened to
Mom
in the first place.
STUCK IN THE STORY
Everyone else is more capable.
Everyone else is is having more fun.
Everyone else is making more money.
Everyone else is more loveable.
Everyone else is more loved.
I keep getting stuck in the story.
The story of Everyone else.
The story of more.
If I could only I could figure out
what keeps me from being
Everyone else.
If only I could figure out
the economy of more.
There I am, stuck in the story again.
Like an old truck that slid into the ditch
after 5 days of rain,
I keep rocking
back
and
forth
between
envy
and
shame.
The mud and the muck
suck the tires
down,
down,
down
until the axles feel
the wet embrace.
This back and forth only served
to make matters worse.
Finally,
I am faced with the question:
“Do I stay here, rocking myself
into a deeper embrace
of mud and muck,
or do I open the door
and
find another way?”
Today,
I choose
to open the door.
(If you are stuck in the story,
may you also find another way.)
RIVER DOESN’T CARE
She lives and breathes.
She rises and falls.
She goes where she wants.
She’ll be here long after you are.
So when
your worries,
your drama
have you spinning round.
Take yourself to the river.
Stand on her bank.
Breathe.
Let her steady flow
wash downstream
anything keeping you
from living.
Let her tireless movement
inspire you to yours.
River doesn’t care,
but she will always be there.
WORLD CHANGER
The world changes in an instant.
Why not you?
Stop asking yourself
“What’s stopping me?”
and ask yourself,
“What step can I take today?”
Then take it.
Maybe it’s
one phone call,
one email,
one journal entry,
one meditation minute,
one something,
one anything.
And you’ve become a world changer.
TWO QUESTIONS
When your mind says,
you aren’t
smart enough,
young enough,
tough enough,
rich enough,
anything enough.
And when you want to
retaliate,
gossip,
commiserate,
or demonize
someone else.
Ask these questions:
Is it true?
Is it helpful?
CONFRONTATION
When a hard conversation is needed with
a boss,
a co-worker,
a neighbor,
a friend,
you must first
have a confrontation
with yourself.
YOUR EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. LIFE
When
your Every. Single. Day. life,
your habits and commitments
begin to flow
one to another,
one from another,
you feel the shift.
Incrementally
you move
from where you were
to where you want to be,
from who you were,
to who you want to become.
Savor this moment.
Because feeling the shift
happens only once in a while,
which makes it seem magical.
But you know where the magic is.
It’s in your
Every. Single. Day. life.
THIS KINGDOM
This kingdom you’re building,
who is it for?
This kingdom you’re building,
who will
live in its castle,
defend the ramparts,
marshall the armies
when you are no longer?
This kingdom you’re building,
how will you want it remembered?
For,
despite our awe at the castles left behind,
the greatest kingdoms
are built
in the hearts and minds
of those we serve.
FAIRY DUST AT DUSK
At dusk,
the lightning bugs
lit up.
A toddler said,
“What’s that?”
I said, “What do you think it is?”
“Fairy dust.”
“Maybe it is,” I replied.
“Keep watching.”
As the evening grew darker,
the “fairy dust” grew brighter,
sparking here and there,
showering in groups,
followed by an excited
“There!”
and
“There!”
Later on,
she will know
these are lightning bugs
and
can learn the amazing science
behind their luminous hind parts.
But today,
today,
it’s fairy dust.
And it’s magic and wonder is
all around us,
and in us,
if we are willing to
keep looking.
SETTLE
It’s a dirty word.
Settle.
“Guess it’s time to settle down.”
“I settled for less than the asking price.”
“We settled the lawsuit.”
(Implying neither side got what they really wanted.)
But what if
settle is also
when you
“settle in”,
find your flow,
get in the groove
and
don’t look back?
Which settle will you choose?