Hit the "Reset Factory Settings" Button.....

....if you are not ridiculously satisfied and thriving in your experience.  You know how on smart devices and some computers there is a "Reset Factory Settings" or "Reset Default Settings" button that you can push when things are not working the way they should.  The speed is not there, the device is feezing up, etc.....and viola', you push that button and everything is back to "normal".

What happened is that the default settings or the settings that the device was developed with are its optimal settings and where it operates as it was designed to and most efficiently have been altered by Apps or add-ons that you added to the system.  Many of these apps or add-on applications cause the smart device to work much less effectively because they were not designed with the whole system in mind.

When you hit the "reset" button, the system does not recognize "Dis-functional" Apps or add-on's and works the way it was designed (thats over simplifying it, but for the purpose of this post will suffice).  The same is true for you and I, except rather than Apps or Add-on's, some of what we believe to be true is what disrupts our naturally efficient thriving manner.

So, are you thriving in your life or are you just existing?  You came into this world built to thrive, evolve, progress and grow.  What does thriving look like?  Well, it's different for everyone but its growing at your essence.  A classic example is that a lot of people operate from a perspective that you go to university, graduate and then get a job, start a family and then essentially exist.  Buy a new car and big house and live happily ever after.  All well and fine, fabulous in fact, unless you stop growing.

How many people have "Aha" or "Hell yeah" moments through out their life because of break through insights about the way life works?  How many times have you heard someone say they are so "burnt out" with their job or their relationship has lost that "passion"?  Those feelings of "Burn Out" or "Passion" or lack there of are not an inherent possibility of the job or the relationship.  They are the feelings you are associating with the job or the relationship.  you don't feel your experience, you feel your thoughts and beliefs.

Everything is about choice.  Do you want to operate from your divine, ineffable factory settings or do you want to operate from beliefs that do not serve you?  Is something Bad or Good, Right or Wrong, Truth or Fiction?  It is what it is, how you feel about it is up to what you think about it!!!  It could be as simple as seeing something you don't agree with or would never do......Do you immediately go into defensive mode and assert "how could someone do that?", after all how you feel about it won't change the incident.  Factory settings would allow a curious thought like "interesting, not what I would do, that can't feel good", anything but a judgmental thought.

Now this is not some Pollyanna new age attitude that is in denial of the physical happenings in the world, its just the opposite, it's being deliberate with your thoughts which cause the physical happenings to change because our actions which cause the physical happenings are predicated upon our feelings.

So what is the take away?  Observe your thoughts!!!  Are they empowering, supporting growth and thriving or are they judgmental?  Thats it!!!  Literally choose every moment to be curious rather than judgmental......being in a state of growth, thriving and curiousness is when miracles happen!!!!!  
    

"Vulnerability is not weakness"....

Vulnerability is likely the single best measurement of courage.  But most people think of Vulnerability as weakness and with that tend to stay away from being vulnerable, or exposing themselves for who and what they are.  And when this happens, we lose touch with who our true selves are, what our true talents are, what our true desires are.

How many times have you been inspired to do something, write something, express your opinion, stand up for something you thought was right or stand up to something you thought was wrong?   But then rather than doing that something, sitting down and writing, expressing your feelings, supporting what you believe in or taking a back seat on an issue you felt was wrong, you avoided or suppressed the inspiration?  If you're like most people, too often.

Who am I to speak my mind, write something, create a piece of art, stand up for what I believe in?  Those are all thoughts emerging from shame, "I'm not creative enough, I'm not strong enough, I'm not an authority on this thing".  Well, where did Da Vinci get his talents?   How did Martin Luther King Jr. create such a large organized peaceful movement?  How did Steve Jobs create Apple?  They put themselves out there and kept doing it after each failure........and you know what, none of them were perfect!

Put yourself out there, stretch yourself....and that doesn't mean to be stupid about it and just argue with someone you don't agree with.  Just simply say;  "I see it this way, what is it that causes you to see it your way?  And do it with an openness to where the other person is coming from in order to understand.  You can still hold your opinion.

Creativity is a huge embracer of vulnerability.  Creating something that has never existed is really putting yourself out there.  Be it something physical or a new policy or a new approach to interacting with customers or even a Blog.  What have you go to lose?  Only the thing you don't endeavor to create!  And when it fails or does not work out, try something different.

"The Dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.  The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.  As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew.  We must dis-enthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."  Abraham Lincoln 

I love that quote, "we must dis-enthrall ourselves...." Dis-enthrall means to free from a controlling force or influence......that being our avoidance of Vulnerability and the shame that prevents us from embracing Vulnerability as an innate part of who we are

Love is what we are born as, Fear is what we learn

That is a paraphrased from a quote by Sir Ken Robinson, and is so true.  Think about it.  A baby has no fear, they exude Love.  And then as they grow up, parents and adults through well meaning intention teach the child of all the dangers that "exist" in the world.  The shoulds and should nots of getting through life unscathed.  Study this, interact with these people, don't interact with those people, strive for this, stay away from that.

Usually, by the age of 6 and certainly by the age of 16, the individual has lost touch with the essence of who they are, their natural talents and desires are suppressed to varying degrees which diminishes as you would expect the enjoyment of their experience.

Have you ever noticed that when you are experiencing a problem or frustration, you are right there.  Even when you perceive that if someone else was different or if the circumstances of the situation were different, the problem would not exist, you are still entangled with the problem......you are involved with the problem or frustration.  Admitting the truth of this is usually missed by most individuals and the starting point of eliminating or reducing the frustration or problem itself.

As you identify a problem or frustration, ask yourself reflectively some enlightening and honest questions such as;

What am I to learn from this situation?
How am I to change to improve this situation?
Where am I to grow in order to alleviate the situation?
What latent talent is waiting to emerge to help in solving this problem?

And the key is, to ask these questions and then just 'be" with them, be quiet.....don't expect the answer to just appear (though if you do it with an open mind and heart, it may).  Sit with curiousness and see what comes.  Be aware that it may come at the most appropriate time, but also the most unexpected......so be open and listen to the thoughts you have.

 

Today....I AM resting in a state of nonresistance-

How many times have you found yourself mired in some negative state because of what is?  And your internal dialogue sounds something like, "What the hell!" or "Why Me!!" or the proverbial, "I can't believe this is happening".  Well, that resistance is the very thing giving that negative state power over you, and what does negative create?  Yep, more negative.  Try just accepting whatever caused you to lapse into that negative state as the fact that it is for now.  After all, you are responsible even if it was not deliberate.


Accepting something doesn’t mean that you like it, or want it to continue. It only means that for the time being, you’re willing to not be in resistance to it and allow it to dominate you.  When you resist, you cut yourself off from the flow of creativity that is always with you.  You are not allowing that creativity to surprise you with the simple solution that always resides in the problem itself.  You're not allowing because you're pushing and pushing is never progressive. 


Accepting things as they are as opposed to resisting them allows you to see the same things differently and in a way that you may very well be surprised with.  You know, the "Blessing in disguise" kind of way.  Think about how many times that has happened to you.  Now think about how many more times that might have happened had you dropped the resistance you held with other situations.  


Don't pitch a tent there, pack it up and move forward.....in other words flow with life, don't resist it, because it is there for a reason and yes, you are responsible for it.  When faced with a "problem", avoid the inclination to empower it by accepting it as a conclusion.  Rather, accept it for what it is in this moment knowing that by dropping your resistance to it, you will see it in a new light.  Do you think the chick or duckling in the egg when it grows so large it is uncomfortable resides in that discomfort?  No, the chick pecks it's way out into a whole new world not previously known to it.


It is what it is, Accept things for what they are now, because that is all they are.  What they are now can change in an instant, when you change you stance on them!!!

Today.....I AM residing in conclusions that are the opposite of my initial conclusion

What?  Well, Alright 75% of them anyway, just to see the difference.  For most people, 95% of the day is spent operating from auto pilot thinking, or the subconscious.  From there, you don't distinguish between your perceptions of reality and reality itself.  So from your perception of reality, you get what you are looking for, because you get what you are and not necessarily what you want.

Try it, what have you got to lose?  Well, if you are not having everything in your life going exactly the way you want it to, what you have to lose are experiences that keep you from having that.  It's true you know, and you are responsible, but its not your fault.....until you realize it and do nothing about it.

For example, if you get cut off in traffic, how many times is your reaction to think "you idiot!" or some other derogative?  And some people then even become aggressive in their own driving.....you have likely seen this.  So what if you noticed that you had this or some other less than positive reaction and asked your self "Is that really true?" or "Do I really know that?".  The answer will always be NO, I don't know this.......but your initial reaction came to this conclusion.  And the point is this, erroneous or even just definite conclusions are of no earthly good to you!!!!  Really they are not.

You can apply this to any situation, and interaction with your partner, an employee, your boss, anyone or anything.  Whenever you come to a conclusion from your subconscious the chances are that it is wrong?  why can I say that with total confidence?  Because the world is dynamic and ever changing, but your subconscious is not.  Your beliefs that may have been true about the way things are, probably are not now because so much has changed but you.  And at best, your conclusions are limiting the infinite potential that exists in an open mind.  Think I'm wrong, ask anyone in Tunisia, Egypt, or Libya.  The conclusion that a dictator controls their life came to an end in the last 11 months.  Let's trust they land on conclusions of optimism and progress moving forward.

Now, I'm not judging, but I am saying most of your conclusions are just stories that fit with your beliefs.  And our beliefs we take as the gospel or truth.  And at the end of the day, the only truth is that we don't know anything as ultimate truth except for what we feel to be right in our heart!!!  Truth to each of us as eternal, divine beings is not a cerebral experience, it's a feeling when we drop out of our head and into our hearts.

So today, I'm going to jump into a conclusion that is the opposite of what I initially thought.....unless it feels too good, then I'll stay with that one, which for me is about 25% of the time.  I AM a work in progress!!!

Today......I AM looking for what is working!!!

Rather than noticing what is perceived to be something wrong, I intend to look for everything that is working.  We tend to see what we are looking for, and my consciousness focused on what is working well mobilizes resources for more things to work well.  This is not just an exercise in optimism, yet there is nothing wrong with optimism.

Missing your family because of travel?  Is that better than not having a family to miss?

Lost your job recently?  Could you find your dream job if you were working 50 hours a week at your old job?

Have a Relationship fall apart seemingly for no reason recently?  Could you meet the person you realize deep love that grows everyday had you been in your old relationship?

This isn't just some Polyanna attitude about life's "Trials".  Life is progressive and expanding......to the point sometimes, that it will pull you by the collar (while you kick and scream) from situations that ultimately are not in your best interest or supporting you on your path.  You know, "yea, though I walk through the valley of death....", well some people pitch a tent there rather than walking through it and call it home.  Don't do that!!!!  Thats Crazy!!

Missing your family?  In your down time away from them, plan how you will connect with them deeper when you get back.  Lost your Job?  Take stock of all the skills and talents you developed at the old job and how you will leverage those even greater in your next opportunity.  Got dumped by the "love" of your life?  Take stock of and reflect on your contributions to the old relationship, and know that you outgrew that relationship.......and adopt the attitude of "NEXT!!!!"  Don't pitch a tent!!!  Progress on, move forward, GROW!!!

When things surprise you in seemingly bad ways....get excited to see what is coming next.  And by the way, take responsibility for everything that is coming into your experience, and I mean everything.  Or are you a victim?  No, I didn't think so.

Today.......Whatever it is you desire......

Give it away.  Thats right, give it away!!!

Why give what you desire away?  Because most people want something (and it does not matter what it is) for the simple reason that they think it will make them feel better.  And they are coming from a perspective of "lack", as in not having it.  They tend to focus on the fact that they don't have this thing that they want (for the purpose of feeling better).  And so "what are they"?  They are a person without this thing that they want......and you get what you are, not necessarily what you want.  And most people tend to just reside in this state of wanting this thing.  Their actions support this state of not having the thing they want.  Their actions are not inspired to support anything else.  

Now if they are in a state of giving this thing they want away, they must be in a state of having the thing they want.  And being in the state, they get what they "are".  I know it sounds like a play on words, but all this comes down to, is being deliberate about your thoughts.

Here is an example.  If you want more free time, help someone else with a task they are working on in order to free up some of their time they would have spent on the task had you not helped them.  I know, I know, you want more free time, and in order to get that you spend more time helping out someone else which takes up your own time?  Thats right!!  If you have the time to devote helping out someone else in order for them to complete a task quicker, YOU are in state of having time......and if you just rest in that state, your mind will stop thinking about NOT having enough time (which is paralyzing in itself), be more creative and the "inspiration" for how to spend your time more enjoyably will come to you.

Want to be happier?  Make someone smile.  Go ahead, I dare you to try it.  Want to feel deeper Love in your life?   Cause somebody to feel more loved, and it shouldn't be some monumental or materialistic expression.  Console somebody that is having a hard day, or call somebody and let them know what you appreciate about them.  

Supply?   If you desire Supply, how can you give that away?  Help someone else gain more Supply.  Seriously, if you want more Money, help somebody else make money.  Help them finish a job, or a refer a client to an associate, or donate something to a worthy cause, or this is a great one.......forgive a debt that someone owes you.  What?  Forgive a debt that someone owes you when what you want is Money?  Thats right!!!  If you had a million dollars in the bank, how much time would you spend thinking about $300.00 that your brother owes you?  Please say none!!!  Otherwise you are going to plow through that million dollars in very little time, and.............be back to wanting more money.  Why do you think there are so many stories about people who win the lottery and are broke again within very little time?

When you take this approach to the things you desire, you change your consciousness to one of having and your actions become congruent with that state.  And in essence what is that state?  Alignment, which is really all you ever need.