Courage. It isn't Never Being Afraid. ©

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"Have a great day. Whatever's left of it..." ©

"Have a great day. Whatever's left of it..."
This morning with about 30 minutes to spare before my next appointment I walked into a coffee shop to grab a warm beverage & get some emails done. As I walked to my seat I made eye contact with an older man, I'd guess in his 70's. I pulled a chair for him where he was about to sit as his hands were full. He thanked me and we shared a momentary glance and a smile. "Have a great day" I said to him as I walked on, "You too... Whatever's left of it."
This got me thinking - how'd he know I'd gotten up at 4:30am to cook,  run outside, meditate & pray and meet with two clients before 9:30am?
"Have a great day... Whatever's left of it."

That phrase repeated itself in my mind. Then a thought dawned on me - the realization of my mortality. No this isn't a new revelation but it is something that I don't think about everyday. As cliche as it sounds, today is a gift and that is a great reason to enjoy the present by being present. We are so very blessed to be able to do all the things we do that we take for granted and it, sadly, often takes tragedy & loss before we remember this fortune we own.

"Have a great day... Whatever's left of it."

There are many people who started yesterday with no thought of not seeing today. Yet there are many people who did not get to see today. Many more are the folks who have died inside - living day to day without the hope that comes from faithfully & with intelligence working a dream into reality.

As we take care of today by enjoying today, building today and sharing love & gratitude today we sow seeds that will last long after we are gone - either from someone's life or this realm. And a great way to remember to take care of today is to remember that we don't know how much time we have left. My wish to you is that You have a great day, a great week, month and life! Whatever's left of it.
Bless,
M.

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Let It Go. ©

Let It Go
We are not created to hold onto stress, misery, pain. Our very being rejoices in times of love, peace and joy. It's our natural state. So why do we choose to harbour so much pain? Is it because we believe we don't deserve joy in our lives? I know this was the case for me. For years I struggled with understanding my Creator's purpose for me, or rather his lesson plan. I've endured some pretty tough scenarios - no tougher I'm sure than anyone else but during those times that perspectives was, seemingly, far from my understanding. One particular set of happenings really tore me apart. Choices I made led to a demise within me of a part of me and I didn't share that with anyone so it rotted inside of me. I began to hate myself for the pain I'd caused both to others and to myself - ironic I know. I was headed for a crash and it seemed inevitable. Until I found the wisdom in three words: Let It Go.

Let it go. Three words with a huge impact. Three words which when habitually acted upon create the space for love, for freedom, for peace, for joy. Let it go. Whatever is holding You hostage from the past, let it go. Whatever fears grip Your ability to believe in a joy filled future, let it go. No matter the pain, no matter how long it has been with You, know that You no longer need it, gives thanks for it's service and then let it go. Let it go right now. In this very moment. And then again, and again. Letting go isn't a single action or a single decision but a constant one, a habitual one. That excuse? Let it go. That feeling of anger? Let it go. That belief that You aren't spectacularly made in You Creator's image. That thought that no one loves You. That You'll never be forgiven. That thing for which You've never forgiven Yourself. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Today allow Yourself to be filled with the wonder that comes from being free. Today, give thanks and practice being aware of Your feelings and being able to then simply let it go.

Today I am again filled with joy. With hope, faith, peace & purpose. I am no longer routed by regret. I no longer hold myself hostage in the pain of my past. I now know - or rather understand, acknowledge and accept my humanity, how far I am from being perfect. I am thankful for grace, for forgiveness and for another opportunity to utilize all the lessons I have learned from the missteps in my past. Each day, it's with a heart of gratitude that I say thank You and I continue to till my heart, mind & soul each day by remembering & actively utilizing three words: Let It Go.
Bless

 

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Remember, a Knight in shining armor has never been to battle. ©

Love is a war. At least I think it is. So much so I've written about it on more than one occasion (click here to read the poem, thanks), yet I always hear people looking for untested fighters. And by untested I mean warriors not seasoned by battle. Anyone who has been in a relationship realizes that they - like most everything worth having - have to be fought for..

"I'm waiting for my knight in shining armor," is a popular phrase I hear women say, but a knight in shining armor is a warrior without merit where it matters most - in the battlefield.
When a knight was knighted he was sent into battle to nobly defend. He was expected to give everything he had - including his life. And not only in death but give his life in service of something greater than only himself. Even though a knight was seen as a superhero of sorts as he left to battle he would endure great pains in order to win. His shield would get dented and scuffed, his armor worn and tarnished, his very body would betray signs of his humanity in the fresh cuts to go with the scars he wore not to mention the unseen scars on his spirit. Even with all these he went on passionately, dutifully, courageously. He continued to serve. He would continue to fight until death parted him from his oath, from his duty.

In love we as men learn on the fly - even more so than women because, well there are very few forums for us to openly & honestly discuss the "how to's" of relating. Women have groups, talk shows, magazines & each other while we are most often left to learn in the battlefield how to navigate this war we call love. We make mistakes, we get hurt, our armor looses its luster but somehow - and I'd attribute it to the grace of God - some of us make it back alive. Not just with breath in our lungs but alive, with a renewed sense of purpose and love. The ones of us who survive, coming back with our spirit intact and our souls yet again ready to serve, those are the lads who a Queen should seek to enlist the service of. Those are the gentleman who's armor no longer shines in a way recognizable to the eyes.

Ladies, You can keep looking for the knight in shining armor but remember, a Knight in shining armor has never been to battle.
Is that who You want fighting for You? With You?
Bless,
M.

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Lest We Forget (So just shut up & remember). ©

I grow tired each year when Remembrance Day (Veterans Day) rolls around and brings with it all those folks who are ready to be up in arms about the idea of war. I also find it interesting that on this day most of the people who choose to share their anti war stance as the reason they do not 'celebrate' Remembrance Day can do so because of the freedom allotted them from those same wars that they don't believe in. Let's be clear, we do not celebrate war anymore than we celebrate a young man or woman dying in their prime. What we do respectfully acknowledge is the fact that people OTHER THAN OURSELVES put themselves in death's way to uphold an idea of freedom - not just for themselves but for those who came after them (ie us). Have we accomplished that idea yet? No, but we are much closer because of those who did what they had to do so we could do what we want to do. Sure we have a distance yet to travel but we build on the shoulders of the giants who've come before us, who fought before us. That is what we 'celebrate' so take a moment today to be grateful that You don't have to choose death or freedom. Take a moment today and remember.
That's it.

Bless,
M.

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Echo... ©

Sometimes we forget how powerful we truly are. Sometimes we forget that in just being ourselves, in shining our own light we can drastically impact the course of another person's journey.
A smile, a warm & sincere word doing something small to show someone You care for no other reason than You care can have an effect far greater than You will ever know. Today make a decision to make a decision to love, to nurture, to shine with no desire for reciprocity. Today whisper into the cavern of the Universe.
Bless,
Mark

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Faith In Action. ©

"Nothing external 

can overcome an internal lack of belief 

yet no internal belief 

can overcome an external lack of effort..."

-Mark Sparks 

(Yes I quoted myself but only I was quoted first. Really)

Faith: trust, belief, confidence, conviction;optimism, hopefulness, hope.

Faith has been a topic that's dominated conversations in my life as of late. Just this week I've been approached by several people and spoken to a few friends about the concept of faith.

What is faith? Well, to me, faith - much like love - is a verb not a noun. 

Which is to say it is an action & more specifically it is revealed in action. 

I grew up in a religious home. My Grandma is a heavily devoted prayer warrior and instilled in me a love of God. Going back I cannot remember a time in my life where the concepts of love, grace and faith weren't present. That foundation has served me well. Thanks Gram's. Thanks Mom. I digress. 

As a young man I was groomed as a youth minister. I've even worked on staff and have been blessed to lead both in and out of the church setting. One concept that continually came up with christians was faith. Many christians believe that faith is about belief alone and since leaving the formal church setting many years ago I've learned that many non christians share this same view. I most assuredly agree that faith is based on belief but that is like saying a house is it's foundation. No, a house is built on it's foundation but the foundation alone isn't the house! (For all You biblical folks out there Hebrews 11 aptly titled "Faith in Action").

In order to be faithful or to exercise faith is to live in a way that shows You believe in what You say You believe in. Here's a simple example, if Gregg says He'll meet me at the gym for a workout on Saturday at 2pm guess where I'll be on Saturday at 1:45pm?! The gym! Why? Because I believe that I am going to meet Gregg for a workout (www.GPSFitness.ca). That's faith.

Faith doesn't hope for action, it fuels it. The bigger our faith, the bigger our actions. One of the biggest hindrances to my faith comes when I look for the extreme example of being faithful because that calls me to make a huge jump, and huge leaps are especially challenging when we've not even been consistently taking small ones. Like a workout we, I, must continually strengthen my muscles with progressive load. Like muscles from working in the gym faith grows with continuous & conscious habit building work.

We can never be successful at achieving anything we do not yet see until we can believe that  we can achieve it. But we will never achieve anything we say we believe we can until our work ethic and dedication to it's fruition reveals our faith. 

Nothing external can overcome an internal lack of belief, lack of faith. Yet no internal 'belief' can overcome an external lack of effort, or display of faith.

I wish You faith building challenges and triumphs along Your journey.

And thank You for reading,

M.

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"Fear isn't real. Danger is real..." I Will disagree (sorry Mr. Smith)

For his latest movie "After Earth" Will Smith's voice is heard in the trailer echoing over some ferocious scenes "fear is not real. danger is very real, but fear is a choice."

I fear, Mr. Smith, I disagree. I believe fear is real. Because our emotions are real. And fear, I believe, isn't always a choice. What is for us to choose is how we react to fear. Or better put, how we act when we are face to face with fear. Fear isn't a choice. Our reaction to it is.

Pursuing a dream is scary. Being vulnerable is scary. Setting big & specific goals for ourselves is scary. Commitment to a thing is scary, to a person even more so. But in order to experience the greatest joy, fulfillment and Love we've got to - time and time again -meet, greet and intimately acquaint ourselves with our fear. And as we defeat it daily greatness is our reward. Fear is real. So is the fact that we have a choice in how we handle it. Believe it.
Bless.
M.

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Harness Your Power. Believe In Yourself (a practical exercise to combat self doubt).

To harness something denotes that it already exists. That it doesn't have to be created but instead that thing merely needs to be discovered & directed. 

You already have power, probably significantly more than You know. Our jobs are never to create power - it already exists within us - but to gather it, to combine it with love & learn to use it in order to shine Our inherent light. And step one in this process is to fully believe in it's existence, to  faithfully believe in Self. 

Here's an exercise to combat self doubt. 

First find a spot on Your body that is easily accessed by You but would have to be touched on purpose. Something like gently pinching Your left earlobe. Whatever spot You choose, remember it. Now onto step two.

Recall a time where You had victory over something in Your past that seemed insurmountable, could have been learning to rid a bike as a child or finishing the school year (remember how long that year seemed when that first test in September rolled around!). Whatever the victorious memory, close Your eyes & visualize it. See Yourself in that moment of triumph over great odds. Feel how proud You were in that moment, how strong You were in that moment.  Recall all You went through, how You conquered self doubt and all other challenges internal & external to reach that win.  As You feel that pride in Your preparation, dedication, perseverance and triumph find Your spot (remember the example of pinching that left earlobe) and, this is very important, while feeling all those feelings of triumph during Your visualization "place" those feelings into that spot by (using my example) pinching the left earlobe. Pour them into that spot. Feel the awesomeness & confidence of that experience pouring into Your "spot" (left earlobe) as You touch it. 

Now repeat with another powerful, victorious memory. 

What You are doing is creating a physical point of power, essentially anchoring those feelings of awesome into a place where You can readily retrieve them when You need them. Like most things the more You practice and repeat this exercise the better able You will be in recalling the power of Your victories in moments where fear & self doubt present themselves. 

Happy harnessing.

Bless,

M.

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Just a thought: Our emotions...

As intense as every emotion we feel can be, remember this: we create 'em. Which means we can choose which one to create at any given moment. "Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts." And of course, 'Weak is she who permits her thoughts to control her actions; strong is she who forces her actions to control her thoughts.'

 

 

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Everything Is Not Possible. Anything Is.

Whatever it is that we hope to achieve, however grand it may be takes the same amount of focus. If the task is small, or the dream is minute then the amount of focus necessary is just that. But when we take on larger tasks, when we begin our journey towards big goals, big dreams they require big energy and big focus. The bigger the goal, the more focus it takes. And when we apply ourselves wholeheartedly to achieving something, well, anything is possible. But just not everything. Not at that time at least. Not until that one thing is achieved.

Why?

Our energy is not infinite. Like a stream of light our power is determined by our source and our focus. Take the sun, the Ultimate source of (physical) light. We can walk around in it and feel its warmth on a sunny day. Take that same sunlight and focus it through a magnifying glass and within seconds You can start a fire. The power of focus.

We are tapped into the greatest source of energy possible. And our ability to focus that energy is far superior to a magnifying glass and its ability to harness the energy of the sun. Imagine what is possible for us if we simply decide to utilize our God given ability? Wow.

Don't believe anyone who tells You that Your dreams are unattainable, that there is anything You cannot do. Everything is not possible but with the right plan, preparation and humble yet persistent execution anything is possible. Anything.
I wish You the greatest on Your journey & in writing Your next chapter.

Bless,
M.

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Jason Collins: Who Cares, Or Rather, Why Do We Still Care?

The sentiment is uplifting but the connotation is upsetting.

I'm upset.
The NBA playoffs are in full swing, the NHL is about to kick off the hunt for Lord Stanley. The ink from the NFL draft is still wet and I'm still trying to figure out what the heck happened to Russel Westbrook yet all I hear about is an NBA basketball player who doesn't even play basketball. The second most interesting thing about Jason Collins, to me, is that he's seven feet tall. I mean I can't even fathom that!  I'm just shy of 6'5" and I have a hard time finding pants that fit, imagine what a disaster buying pants must be for him?! Or traveling on a plane? "No Ma'am You cannot  recline Your seat." Or worse yet pulling into a hotel on the road and having to push the desk chair to the end of the bed to support the one third of Your body which the bed simply will not accommodate.

During his 12 year career, Jason Collins averaged under 4 points per game, half of both a steal & blocked shot per game, under one assist per game and about 4 rebounds (which for a 7 footer who played 20 minutes per game  is fairly average). An average basketball player among the best in the world, an accomplishment? Absolutely but not remarkable. Or sports magazine cover worthy.

So why are we talking about him?

Is it because he went to Stanford (the most interesting thing, to me, about a guy I don't know) and graduated with a degree in communications (broadcast & print media) - which for an All Pac 10 & All American basketball player is rather unheard of - I mean he completed school before going to the league. Stanford no less. Now that's impressive.

Jason Collins' achievements are incredible. None of them are because he's black. Or seven feet tall. Or gay. They are because he was blessed with a gift (his mind and secondly his physical talent) and because he applied himself and worked extremely hard to achieve what he desired to achieve. None of what makes Jason Collins exceptional is the fact that he is gay.

I get it though. To discount that him being black doesn't make his achievements greater is a lie. And to discount that him being gay and achieving would be as well - which is partly why I'm upset, but I'll get to that in a minute. Him being black is something that created challenges for him, just like him being seven feet tall. Being gay is something he kept to himself, and I've no judgement on that because it's his life and he should be able to love who he pleases without consequence.

This is the upsetting part for me - we still live in a society where being gay is considered a hindrance. Just like being black is. And with all the progress we've made the amount of coverage this story is getting shows us just how much farther we have to go. That we still heavily judge people by the shade of their skin and whether they love the same or opposite sex as opposed to for their character, merit and achievements. And that upsets me.

          (Aside - I could never quite understand how any one who deals with any ism (race, sex, age, gender etc... ) could condone homophobia. I mean it's a "don't hate me for what I am yet I hate so and so for that very same reason" stupidity that perpetuates hate. But that's for another time.)

My heart and prayers go out to all those who feel the need to 'hide', may You find the support and love You deserve in being unapologetically and wonderfully You.
And good luck Mr. Collins on Your, I pray, noble journey from here. And seriously, where do You buy Your pants?
M.

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Walls, Doors and The Purpose Of Everything.

Everything has a purpose. Walls are walls. Doors are doors. Don't confuse them & You'll do fine.
"What are You talking about Mark?" Let me explain.
Everything in life has a purpose - it's just easier to tell with some things. When we confuse the purpose or don't search for the purpose of things in our lives we make our journey much more challenging than it already will be (Yes life is challenging - if it weren't You'd be dead).

When we come upon doors, even closed ones and act like they are walls, we miss (or put off) the opportunity to learn, grow and progress. When we come upon walls and try to walk through them, we...well, have You ever tried to run through a brick wall? Hurts doesn't it? And chances are You don't get very far (even if You are built like the hulk). Get it?

As I said, everything has a purpose. Walls are walls. Doors are doors. Don't confuse them & You'll do fine... Now windows? That's for the advanced class.

Bless,
M.

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'Problems' - Solve 'em or don't. Remember, the choice is always Yours.

The unclimbable, unsolvable are only so to the One who views it as such. 

Every problem comes equipped with a solution - the real challenge is unshackling Your imagination's innate ability to find it.

Think back to when You were a child - when boundaries of "cannot" rarely existed, where excitement and wonder often pushed You past the walls that fear may now have you bound within.

Hot stove? Let me see...
I'll get hurt if I jump? Yeah right, I'ma jump anyways. 

We weren't taught to walk but discovered it from our curiosity to explore. Learning to speak was an extension of our soul's desire to paint a picture for those around us of what stirred within us. Heck I'm still amazed at how quickly my Young Boy learned to kick butt at 'Ghostbusters!' All in all when we are excited to explore and levitated to new heights by love no one thing is impossible to overcome or outlast and no solution lays outside of our grasp. Well, sort of. You see every solution we need is within us - that is where the concept of 'until the student is ready to be taught no lesson can be learned' comes from - but it is our choice to unlock the gates we set up to let our spirit free to lovingly explore, examine & expose to ourselves what we are truly capable of and what we deserve & desire. Only once we've allowed ourselves this freedom can we ever hope to be taught. Only once we leave our cage can we ever hope to learn.
Here's a quick exercise to begin unlocking Your potential - write down 3 beliefs You hold true as to why You cannot find a solution to a given problem. Go ahead, I'll wait...

Now, for each, ask Yourself 3 questions:
1. Where did I get this belief?
2. Is that belief absolutely true?
3. Does it serve me towards what I desire?

If the answer to number 2 & number 3 is "no" then ask Yourself why You still hold on to it - not why You did in the first place (because it clearly was needed to get You to where You are now). Perhaps it's done it's job and is time for that belief that no longer serves You to rest. Perhaps not, I know nothing of Your journey so that's for You to decide. But actively decide and don't let it, life, choose for You.

You are incredible and deserve all that You truly desire. Don't ever let nor believe that something can stop You from working and attaining it - not time, not another person and surely not Yourself.
I wish You the greatest of discovery and love on Your journey.
M.

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Welcome to the door of the sacred place...

Welcome.
Welcome to the door of the sacred place where Your existence alone is the key.
Welcome, to another day which frames itself as the hallway to this sacred place. The place where truth unravels the fear of paralysis and faith inflates the ballon of Love which will take You high, revealing the minuteness of the mountains in which You fear to climb. Dive deep into the depths of Your soul, knowing that You are perfect and that when You choose to be You are loose from all that tethers You to the limitations imposed upon Your existence by society, by You.
Welcome to the sacred place, Your birthright, Your destined dwelling.
Enter with joy, with Love and with faith but most important enter.
Welcome.

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Your Sign to Be Great (because You already are).

And If You've been waiting for a sign, then this is for You:

All the permission You need to be great, the talent, the ability to be great is already within Your reach because it's already within You (in case Your sign wasn't enough :-). Be great, not only because You can but because You already are. Be great because You've been gifted Your unique greatness to present to the world, and we are eagerly awaiting Your shine. Get to digging! Uncover Your greatness! Be great.

Happy treasure hunting. May the journey bring much joy & stunning revelations.

Bless,

M.

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Time: Right & Wrong. ©

To acknowledge the 'right' thing at the 'wrong' time hurts almost as much as the 'wrong' thing at the 'right' time.
Almost.
In the latter, we take comfort in the fact that even though we were ready for a thing (i.e. our 'right' time) that thing which we were/are seeking & thought we found wasn't at all what, or all of what we truly desired (i.e. the 'wrong' thing). It stings to come to this end, without any doubt, but to recognize that what You want is what You have, while also recognizing that what You want You are not yet ready to have for whatever reason (i.e. the 'wrong' time) hurts so much more. The 'right' thing at the 'wrong' time. Damn.
This maturing process, as painful as it always is, is necessary for us to awaken to our highest potential - to love at our deepest & to give love from that state in what we do as it radiates from who we are.
Alas, we can take some comfort in going through the 'right' thing at the 'wrong' time knowing this - when the time is truly right so too will be the thing, so the 'wrong' thing - though a great teacher - is always right on time.
But then, I'm wrong plenty of the time.
Enjoy Your journey. And Your times.
Bless,
M.

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"Do for Love": Ridding emotional conflict.©

Confusion, emotional conflict, exists not when our hearts & heads conflict for it's not logic & love that can't coexist but instead our fear & pain that cause this emotional conflict. When we desire a thing our fear of what we need to give up to attain that can be strong - sometimes seemingly stronger than our desire. The vulnerability needed scares us, especially when the desired is unknown. Fear leads us to stay the same, even if it isn't what we desire because we are pacified by the fact that where we are we know & where we desire we do not. Therefore the only way to lead life filled with the joyous & courageous pursuit is to live with love & never for a result. Pain inevitably will find us no doubt but it will never paralyze us if we pursue love & not merely a result. 

"I do not for a result. I do only from Love. I do for Love." 

As we affirm this we allow ourselves the freedom & strength to pursue our passion, our love & our wildest, joyous dreams.
Enjoy Your pursuit, I wish You the greatest of luck.

Bless, 

M 

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Muhammad Ali a.k.a Cassius Clay; My Teacher For Today.

In Rome in the summer of 1960, a Young Man would win convincingly with a style that was "all wrong".
"A boxer who uses his legs as much as (He) used his in Rome risks deceleration in a longer bout."
"(He) had a skittering style, like a pebble scaled over water." "He was good to watch, but he seemed to make only glancing contact." Said 'experts' & sportswriters, even after the gold medal bout where his opponent, Zbigniew, was left bloody & "out on his feet."
"Big men were supposed to wade in & flatten their opponents," & "while amusing to watch, (He) lacked the requisite menace of a true big man."
These words, like the critics of His past & future didn't stop Him from waking at 4 or 5am as a teen to run before training. Or stop Him from spending countless hours on mastering his craft en route to fulfilling his dream. He made up his mind and that was that, nothing would stop him from being great - "The greatest in the world" in fact.
My lesson of the day? If I want it bad enough, I'll work hard enough, smart enough & faithfully enough and nothing any critic can say can ever stop me. Failure is only an option if it is the one I choose. Thanks Cassius Clay a.k.a Muhammad Ali for my lesson today.

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Love At First Sight © (With "I Belong To You" Acapella Video)

Countless women at the club
You wonder if I even notice You
Truth be told
I don't see anyone else
I'd hurdle any obstacle to get to You
In fact
I do
And You
Beautiful
Wonderful You
I wish to get to know
Intimately
Showing You
In to me
Into my soul
Which has been so cold
For so long
Longing
To be
Reunited with You
It's why
I surmise
That nothing else would do
Or will do
And why
No other can do
What You
Created inside my hearts lonely darkness
And I bear witness
To the thought that
Love at first sight exists
And if I've ever
Known anything to be true
It's my Love for You
And my life's longing
To belong
To You...

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School doesn't educate, It Teaches Obedience. ©

School doesn't educate, it teaches obedience. 

It doesn't mean school is unimportant, 

it just means we must seek to educate ourselves. 

School has many commendable qualities, discipline being one of them. But many lessons we need to learn are missed if we only rely on school to teach.
Think about it - many of the life lessons that we must learn aren't in the curriculum. Taxes, credit card interest and money management. Estate planning, preparing for the death of parents and loved ones, marriage, dating and love in general among other fundamentals. These are things that we are not taught, well unless we are blessed with some exceptional teachers (and I can say that I most certainly was). School is a system working for a system. It mostly prepares us to show up, sit down, fall in line and follow without question. This isn't an absolute but it is the normal. School has great importance, and that importance serves us well after all if we never learn how to hold our tongue from time to time or to simple follow instructions then society would be cast into chaos, I get that. All I'm saying is that if we expect school alone to educate us on key life fundamentals then we will always be missing education in some key life fundamentals. Good luck on Your journey & happy hunting!
M.

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Beating Fear's Power Of Paralysis. Maybe. ©

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“Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain,

whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.”

       -William Congreve

“It’s very simple. This is what I believe & I’m willing to die for it.
I know who I am, I know what I believe & that’s all I need to know.”

-Will Smith

 

It’s true isn’t it that we fear most what we don’t know. There have been studies done where more folks would rather hear “you have cancer” than wait for the results. Fear of the unknown. It’s the reason we fear taking risks, whether that is asking a person on a date or starting our own company. Fear becomes the reason that we generally do not progress as we desire. Sure fear has many manifestations but don’t be fooled, most things boil down to fear:

“I don’t want to ask her out” - fear of being hurt.

“I don’t want to be vulnerable” - fear of not being loved.

“I don’t want to speak up about my idea” - fear of being made fun of.

“I don’t want to express my originality” - fear of not fitting in.

“I’ll settle for whatever I can get” - fear of being alone.

“I could never achieve that” - fear of success.

Fear. And all because we don’t know what lies on the other side of our efforts. So the key is a simple one, though hardly considered easy. The key to beating fear is two fold. First we must become comfortable in not knowing, as in “I don’t know what is going to happen, I don’t know what the outcome will be but I am okay with that because regardless of what happens it will not effect my own view of my self or my self worth.” Like Will Smith said, “It’s very simple. This is what I believe & I’m willing to die for it. I know who I am, I know what I believe and that’s all I need to know.”

Next, as each case of fear comes up we must deal with them head on knowing that we are certain of our self and self worth. When we do our inner work – that is to explore & become aware of our own beliefs and to fully realize how unique and wonderful we each are - fear looses its power of paralysis. Sure we’ll never be without fear nor is all fear a bad thing but when we gain the ability to make decisions and take action as we choose and not as fear chooses we take back the power that is rightfully ours. The power to feel and do as we choose, to decide our destiny as we see fit.

Or something like that, I’m not sure. But I’m okay with that.

I wish You the greatest blessings and deepest Love on Your Journey.
M.


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One thing that is certain... ©

Life happens. Or to be more exact, things that we do not plan en route to executing our plan happen. It's a fact. Plan for it. Expect it. Be determined enough not to let it be an excuse and just figure a way to get it done. We always feel best when we do.
I'm not by any stretch saying to forgo compassion or that We will never have to recalibrate & reassess or even rewrite our plans but when we are not the sole deciders of whether we decide to quit* we relinquish some of our power to create our own lives, our ability to discover & uncover a part of our purpose. And believe that we have an amazing amount of power to create our own reality. Think about it - whenever You've set Your mind to a thing it comes to pass. Whether good or bad when You focus on something You begin to see it more - whether that car You never noticed on the roads until You bought won or a friend brought the vehicle's merit to Your attention or a job You desired so. You see what happens when we desire something with ferocity we begin to put our energy towards attaining it. And this happens either in service of us or disservice - we choose for we are the authors. Sure life offers many intersections and forks in the road along our journey as we write our lives but we are authors. We must choose our own path, our own way and our own ending of each chapter. Or 'life' (the general flow of whatever direction the general flow is already going) decides for us. And that rarely gets us to where we truly desire to be. To get where we want, to attain goals we've got to swim upstream. That takes passion, preparation and perseverance. It is very simple but it is rarely easy. Passion fuels us, preparation is our plan and perseverance is the ability we each already have to endure and even enjoy as we work, fight, swim and crawl our way to get "it" done. Whatever "it" is.
I wish You the greatest success in reaching each goal but more in enjoying and transforming as You enjoy the journey.
M.

*quit - We never really decide to "quit". If we choose another path, from a place outside of fear we don't quit, we simply wrote another plan. To quit is to give up on that we still truly desire.

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