All posts by Jonathan Hilton

22

Finding Joy In Life

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Even when you try to be positive in life, it takes an effort to consistently keep the positivity moving forward in life. When you let your thoughts run wild on their own, you are at the mercy of that stampede of random things.

Someone says or does something annoying but straightforward, and it alters your mood toward the negative. Your schedule is interrupted, and you have to adjust. These simple things can throw you out of your mood and make your attitude less than stellar. It happens when something makes you look at the world selfishly. What does this mean to me? Rather than what you can offer the world at this moment. So a change in your attitude can come when you choose to be more giving and less worried about what you get.

Love Is The Answer

To find joy in all of your moments is the secret to real happiness. Approach every experience in your life with love. If you have planned your day one way and it has to change, embrace that change. Choose to experience joy over angst. Let’s face it. Many things happen; we have little to no control over them. All we can control is our reaction to them. When you think about it, to react with joy is just as easy as responding with anger, and it will be a more positive experience. If a conflict with a co-worker or loved one occurs today, embrace it as an excellent opportunity to express your emotions and expand your relationship. It is a chance to communicate openly and honestly about how you feel. I have heard it explained like this. 1st: Joy over Angst and 2nd state, “I feel great about it.” After all, to make this statement, things make the events belong to you.

Look at this day you have. Approach every experience as if you chose it and decide that you will feel great about it. We are conditioned by society to feel wrong about many lessons of life. People can view it as a negative or even debilitating experience when we fail. But really, it is just a learning experience about what didn’t work for some reason. It could be the critical factor that will lead you to ultimate success. It is just as easy to feel right about something as it does to feel poorly about it. Love what is happening in your life and look for its value because it is always there. As long as you are alive, you have a chance to grow and become better at whatever it is you are striving to do. We should try to make the best of things.

Gratitude

Since we can’t choose what always happens to us, we still have a choice about our feelings about these things that happen to us. Try to feel gratitude for all the experiences in your life. Even for the items we don’t want to happen to us. Why should we feel grateful for difficult things? Because often, they are the events that push us forward to being our best selves. Even the most traumatic experiences, once dealt with, can propel us to becoming better people and achieving life goals we never thought we could make.

It is called post-traumatic growth. It occurs when an event rocks your whole world, and it breaks your shell of comfort. It is a forced significant change in a short amount of time. To adjust, we all have different methods. We withdraw, we experience depression, we feel lost and alone. But when you come out on the other side. Your motivation is better, and your goals are more apparent. You know what type of person you want to be and are closer to representing that ideal every day.

Express Your Emotions

So why allow solid emotional responses to dictate your behavior? There is value in expressing your emotions and being true to your feelings, but does experiencing them in the time of action provide you with more work options? An individual can experience sadness but not let it dictate how they behave at the moment. Remaining calm is the key to finding success and guiding yourself out of the darkness of depression or sadness.

Be calm and measure your reactions. See how many options become available to you. To remain calm when the storm rises all around you is a real challenge. Anger can seem like a powerful tool to make sure your fear is known. But it does not help build authentic relationships or live a better, happier life. Better to recognize the thoughts that brought the anger on and deal with those in a healthy manner. You live in control of your emotions and not the other way around.

You Choose

Life is going to give you a series of experiences. It’s up to you to decide how skills will ripple through your life and the lives of those around you. Will it be a gentle wave of calm or a violent tsunami of anger, fear, and frustration? That is the choice you have today and every day. It’s your experience and your choice of how to grow from it.

quotes

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect Its successful outcome.”-William James

“Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.”-Tom Blandi

“I am convinced that attitude is the key to success or failure in almost any of life’s endeavors. Your attitude-your perspective, your outlook, how you feel about yourself, how you feel about other people-determines your priorities, your actions, your values. Your attitude determines how you interact with other people and how you interact with yourself.”-Carolyn Warner

 

22

Over The Rainbow

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The Wizard of Oz has always been classic because of its great story and, of course, for the messages it teaches.   Yearly, children of all ages enjoy it because of the symbolic search for self the characters embark on. The search for personal growth is one that I am very familiar with, the ability to think, have a heart, maintain your courage, and find a home. I think we are all looking for the same things. I have learned a few things on my trip somewhere over the rainbow.

If I only had a Brain

With the thoughts I'd be thinking, I could be another Lincoln.
With the thoughts I’d be thinking, I could be another Lincoln.

The search for intelligence has changed over time for me. Initially, I thought school was the ultimate expression of your intellect and to what degree you had determined your intelligence.

But life experience has taught me that your natural intellect is revealed when you have a passion for learning something. I have learned more since I turned 44 than I ever conceived of as a college student. I never had a passion for reading about facts and learning new things as I do today, and trying to fit their lessons into my life. If I were a faster learner, perhaps I would have had a happier life.

I believe that all people contain intelligence inside themselves, and they only need the right question to bring it out. Don’t spend a lifetime looking outside yourself for intelligence or intellect. It has existed inside you all along. Embrace it and your magic that will take you anywhere you want to go.

Tales of a Broken Heart

I would like to be able to sing and dance too.
I want to be able to sing and dance too.

Many of us are just like that tin man, tapping our chests and hearing nothing but an echo shooting back at us. Yet, the heart is always there, and it has to be for us to exist. Some are hard to find in people as they act callously toward us or others. But some semblance of pulmonary machinery exists, and you have to look hard in some people.

An emotional heart is in everyone, but we try to protect it too much. Nothing hurts as bad as when it is broken, but that is a part of the process. There is an inherent risk in any relationship that if you love someone, you may be hurt. It is one of the elements of life that make no sense. Something good goes terrible; pleasure becomes pain; joy becomes sorrow, yin, yang, light and dark; we are all pawns to our strongest emotions.

This fact goes for loving your spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, children, grandparents, or friends. Because it hurts so much, that is why we construct such stable structures around our hearts. The problem with this is that it is hard to get any guidance from a heart so deeply buried. Let it rise to the surface and take your chances. That is life. No guarantees.

Remember that your heart is available to you anytime you want to use it. Any tin walls around it can be removed simply by deciding to do so. But know also there is no warranty on your heart and no return policy either. It will allow you to love all the good, bad, joyful, and painful stuff that comes with it.

What have they got that I ain’t got?

I'd fight you with my eyes closed!
I’d fight you with my eyes closed!

When it comes to courage, we all face fears all the time. Some are big, like a fear of death or heights, and some are pretty small. There is a twinge of fear in each action that we either overcome or succumb to. I think I have given in way more than I would ever like to admit. To the horror of what others think, fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of being happy. (as silly as that sounds)

Courage to me is recognizing the thing that frightens you and still moving forward anyway. As life progresses, people create routines and structures that seem to protect us from fear, but it still exists.   My search for courage is to be myself in every moment, regardless of what others think. To open myself up to life and love and accept the results, even when they aren’t what I would choose. I still endeavor to try to be happy and try to be brave for another day. Some days I have retreated, but we all have days like that. I have been knocked down 100 times and gotten up 101.

Your fear may be something else.   We all have the courage inside us to face whatever adversity we face. It isn’t always easy, but it can be done. Have courage in your journey, and you will find success.

No Place Like Home

There's no place like home. There's no place like home.
There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.

Some would say that home is where the heart is, and others might say that home is where you can be accepted and loved for who you are. No matter what definition you use, I think searching for a home is a lifelong one.

I am fortunate to have experienced a lot of pleasant experiences in my life, but I am unfortunate that I have never found my home. Home is one of the places that I have been looking for all of my life, and I have thought I found it before but was mistaken. I also know what I may encounter is finding the home I am thinking of is an impossibility, or it may be something that I have known all along. There is a sneaking suspicion inside me. Home is not out there somewhere over the rainbow but residing much closer to me, right inside myself, just waiting to be recognized. Once accepted and understood, the world might make sense. We can’t find a home in another place or another person, and we can only share our home with them, and they theirs with us.

Either way, those who have found this in their lives should be grateful. I am thankful for the idea that home will be possible someday, and I dream of it because there is no place like home.

So, What have you learned, Dorothy?

So as I express my gratitude for this movie and the search for a brain, a heart, courage, and a home. I urge all of you who have these things to be grateful for them. If you are still searching, that is OK too.

Life is nothing but a search for all of our missing pieces, which exist out there somewhere. If I only knew where a wizard was hiding behind a curtain, perhaps I would find mine more efficiently.

22

Factors In My Fear

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One of the most influential factors in the lives of all people is Fear. It comes to us in various ways and affects what goals we set, what actions we take, our thoughts, and how we interact with other people. The factor of Fear touches almost every moment of our lives. It makes you wonder how we all became so afraid. Fear comes in many different forms to influence us, unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension, dread, and even phobia. These are the faces of Fear that people face and are influenced by every day. The thing to remember is that most of these are not tangible things. There isn’t a real and present danger that will cause you harm. No, these are fears based on something that might happen in the future, perhaps. If they do, I will suffer, making me nervous, anxious, worried, tense, etc. So we live our lives based on something that is just a thought that is not happening now. You can counteract feelings of Fear with thoughts of love, which starts with you, in your mind.

The Present Moment

It is also very peculiar that there is no room for fear when people are faced with things in the present moment. You can be worried about whatever you want, but when faced with that experience in the here and now, most people react without a doubt. They do what must be done, one step at a time. There is no room for fear or anxiety because you are dealing with the problem head-on, and you know the answers to any questioning thoughts you may contain in your head. Later, after the trauma is over, your mind can create wild replays of an incident and create new fears. This thought is post-traumatic stress. The event dominates your thoughts with what-if scenarios, and if that could happen, what about this?

Look at your thoughts, and all of our fearful ones are based on the potential for suffering and avoiding it. We are all scared of monsters in our closets, we all have different closets, but the Fear is the same. I will be hurt, and I want to avoid that at all costs. Try to focus on the thought that we can always deal with the present moment, but we have difficulty coping with things that are a projection of the mind. Because our minds can make up scenarios that make us feel helpless, and that is the scariest thing at all. The future is challenging to deal with as a projection because there is no honest answer to counteract the perceived pain experience. What is this pain?

Our Fears

What exactly are we afraid of?

*One is a fear of loss, that something we care about will be taken away from us. If you have nothing, you have nothing to lose, and it is the loss of things we have that frightens us. If you have love, rather than enjoying it, we destroy it with a fear of losing it.

*Another major fear is a fear of failure. To me, this is a significant impediment to developing to your fullest potential. When you try something new, you will either succeed or fail. Either way, you will learn something valuable that will lead to your ultimate growth and fulfilling your potential. Too often, we let our fear of failure stop us from trying something, and we are defeated before we begin. It isn’t the failure that scares us, and it is what others think the loss says about us.

*Fear of being hurt is another one. I think suffering is one of the parts of this human experience that we need to be conscious of. Of course, we don’t want to experience pain. It is not a good thing. But the pain has a purpose. It tells you that something is wrong and that problem needs to be addressed one way or another. It directs action and forces us to do something. When the pain is happening, most people are not afraid. After the experience of the pain, we are fearful of being hurt again. We remember the experience and, of course, would like to avoid it in the future. The problem is when you let your fear of being hurt stop you from living that you are living in Fear.

**Fear of death is the real problem we have mentally, that this physical journey will end at some point. You have to come to peace with our impending mutual doom at some point. But some people take it to the extreme and need to be right in every argument to defend a mental position they have identified with. To lose the debate is the mind having its sense of self threatened with destruction. If you are wrong about something you believe wholeheartedly, what else could you have been wrong about? Once you realize the mind is not you, it is possible to step back and see that right or wrong makes no difference. You can know what you believe and speak it firmly and clearly.

Shine a Light

Fears will disappear when you shine a light on them. The view of consciousness will eliminate all of your Fear of thought. Hold what scares you in your mind and focus on why it is so frightening to you. Follow the emotion back to its origin, and you will see most of the things we fear have humble origins early in life. They are often punctuated through our experience, but they start in our youth. If you have a fear of trusting someone and being hurt, it began when you were small, and it has probably been plaguing you throughout your adult life. Shining a light on this issue and realizing that there are people you can trust, and often it is your thought pattern that leads to a situation of suffering.

Spend some time documenting and honestly examining your fears. Find their origin and understand that they are just your mind projecting an image that doesn’t exist. The light of knowledge and understanding of yourself will bring courage.

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” —Helen Keller

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” —Henry Ford

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” —Rosa Parks

“Fears are nothing more than a state of mind.” —Napoleon Hill

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” —Nelson Mandela

 

22

When Dreaming Was Easy

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Dream – contemplate the possibility of doing something or that something might be the case.

DreamThe human mind is an incredible tool. Not only can it process billions of things each day, it also can help to create the desired images of the future, and it does this through dreams.  Everything that was ever created or achieved started as a dream in someone’s mind and then became a reality through the pursuit of the possibility that dream presents.  What are the dreams that you are creating today? What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? What do you want to be?  The first step to answering all of these things is to start by dreaming. So be conscious today of how your thoughts, words, and actions are leading to or away from your dreams.

When Dreaming was Easy

In the early development of childhood, dreaming is as natural as breathing or eating. A young mind easily imagines what they might be in the future. It doesn’t have to be realistic, it has to be something that will bring joy out Dreamof life and will plain be fun.  As you grow, the world seems to want to distance you from dreaming. We are inundated with statements of “be realistic!”, “you can’t make a living doing that!”, or the most defeating, “You can’t possibly do that!”

The negative messages often come from people who genuinely concern us. They don’t want you to be disappointed, hurt, or seen as unsuccessful. It might be because they will see themselves as a failure if they are not acceptable in society. Some people say these things to you because they didn’t have the courage to pursue their dreams, and if you succeed in yours, they feel emptier without their dreams.  Don’t let your power to dream be diminished, dream every day and let your mind create the possibility of what might be. The world will be better for it.

The Action is the Fuel

So you have this dream of becoming something different or creating Dreamsomething in your life. The fuel that moves a dream from fantastical fiction to reality is taking action toward making it real.  The actions may seem small at first, but action will lead to more actions and soon you are on your way.  Keep the dream in the back of your mind but remain present in the experience of each action you are taking to bring your dream into reality.

If you dream of going to the moon then you have to start by doing what it takes to become an astronaut. If you dream of being a famous singer, you should probably start working on your voice.  Whatever it is, there is a step you can be taking today to move you along the path of your dream.  It won’t happen through thought alone. It takes an action to bring it to reality.

Don’t Be Discouraged

Sometimes dreams don’t come true.  This is one of the harsh realities of life. Even when we keep a strong visualization of the dream and we take positive action toward achieving it, it still doesn’t work out.  The challenge is to see the experience for what it is, a stepping stone to a better you.  Even if you do not achieve your dream, your path will take you in a positive direction.  Evaluate what you learned in the pursuit.  Perhaps it is time to take a new tack and move in a different direction toward the dream? There may have been vital information you needed to obtain in order to ultimately create your dream.

Who is to say what failure is? Many great people failed a lot in their pursuit of achievement. Only by maintaining their dream and continuing taking steps forward did they finally create what they imagined.  That is one of the biggest challenges in life, to keep giving your best every day to make your dreams a part of your reality.  Many times dreams come true if you don’t give up.  Keep dreaming and keep trying, it will allow you to be the best version of yourself and the world will be a better place for it.

Dreams

So as you move through your life today, be conscious of your dreams. Don’t push them away as fantastical things that could never come true.  Look at the places in your life where you can take even a small action toward it. Also, be conscious of the dreams of others.  Encourage where you can. If you don’t want to accomplish anything, at least don’t be a detriment to those who do.  Be conscious of your thoughts, words, and actions today of the dreams in you and all around you.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”~ Harriet Tubman

This video was the dream of an Italian guy to get the Foo Fighters to come to Italy to play. He organized and created this 1000 musician band performing the song Learn to Fly. It is the creation of a dream and shows how taking action makes it come true.  He speaks about it after the song.  Great!!

 

22

Make A List

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List– several related items or names are written or printed consecutively, typically one below the other.

Life is not a solo sport, and no matter how much you may try to stay disconnected from others, there will be those who will need you at some point. These people have been placed on your list of assignments for life, and how well you manage to provide them with the guidance and support they need will determine your actual success in life. You may not know some of the people on your list yet, but knowing that they exist may have you start looking for them. It begins with conscious awareness that people depend on you to give them a hand through the rough patches. It begins with n awareness of your thoughts, emotions, words, and actions today.

All People Have a List

There isn’t a person in the world who doesn’t have a list. Position and power don’t have much to do with it. Being human does.   Some on our lists are easy to identify, they are our relatives, and of course, we care about them, but others who need us may not be all that evident  Keep this in mind your listin your daily dealings with all people, are they on your list  Do they need a thing from you  Are they one o your assignments?

At the very least, you can try not to hinder others, who are doing their best to help their assignments. Please treat them with respect, regardless of social status, job titles, or current situation. Have empathy t t their list exists and needs them. Or perhaps they are on your list and require you to provide them with some critical elements of their existence, Either way, be kind to the plight of others.

Whose List Have You Been On?

In your life, there have been times you needed things from others. None of us is an island globally, and we are all connected. No matter how wealthy a person is or how well they have planned their lives, there are times they your listneed somebody. Look back at y r whole life and honestly see the people who drifted into your life to give you a bump or boost at a particular time, Just when you needed it.

An encouraging word, a visit, support when you are down  A friend who n er wavers or loved ones who have supplied unconditional love all your life  I don’t know whose list you have been on, but I am positive that your name has been on a file or two in your life  Be grateful for that, and appreciate what a great thing that is  Your mission in life is critical to others, and you have quite a value.

Your List Gets You Thinking Positively

Sometimes we get stuck in our heads, thinking about selfish, harmful things. Your list and those who need you provide a natural break from negative thinking and push you toward being more positive. Whether you like it or not. It is just about impossible to do something kind, thoughtful, or supportive for another and not feel optimistic. The symbiotic relationship also works the other way. It is impossible not to feel good inside when someone does something for you. So the lesson is to look for those on your list who need you today and come through for them.

You may do this every day already, which is great, but becoming more aware of how you fit into the cosmic movement of life can be a powerful awareness—your actions matter. For yourself and for all of those who need you, it is also comforting to know you are listed on someone’s responsibility list if you should need it as well. Take heart today and think about how lucky you are to be involved in this life. Be conscious o your list and those in and around your life working to provide what is needed for others. It is happening all around you and noticing starts by looking at your thoughts, emotions, words, and actions and how they affect your list of personal assignments.

“Give not because people expect you to but because the world needs you to.” – Tokoda

“Is it always to be a winners-losers world, or can we keep everyone in the game?” – Robert Fulghum

“I wish for all of us the blindness of love that makes us see no faults in the other.” – Kamand Kojouri

https://youtu.be/dvvJ7MYaK8o

 

22

Improve Every Day

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improvementsOpportunities for improvement in intellect, action, or spirituality are things that exist for us every day. I am grateful today that I can seek and find growth in some aspects of my life experience. And it goes without saying, but YOU can too! We have to be conscious of what we want to change and then make choices that allow us to move in the right direction.

We have to be conscious of what we want to change and then make choices that allow us to move in the right direction.

Only Two Directions In Life

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on where you are. I say this to point out that it doesn’t matter where you are in the world. A universal fact is that you are going today is one of two ways. You are getting better, or you are getting worse. There is no staying static in one place. This fact is a great thing because if you start to recognize this fact, you will look for ways to make sure you are getting better each day. If you do nothing to improve and assume the status quo is acceptable, you will be slipping in the other direction.

Choose an element of your life, from how you relate to your family, how you perform your improvement 2job or how you relate to the Universe.   If you don’t strive for improvement, regression will most likely be the reward. This idea is valid for physical and mental tasks, and it is true of everything in life. But you have total control over which way you go. If you want to be a better person, then make choices that focus on becoming a better person, and it will happen through your action. There is no other alternative.

It Doesn’t Matter How Far Down You Are

Another great thing about improvement is that it doesn’t matter how far down you currently are. You can change and get better right now. Having the courage to start is the spark ingredient you need to begin the journey to improvement. If you feel you weigh too much, then choose today to improve that aspect of your life. It may be eating healthier and exercising, and you will be growing. If you decide to do nothing different, where will your weight go?

If you don’t think you are intelligent enough, choose to become more informed. Start to read, research, and become more aware and knowledgeable in areas you feel lacking. If you decide to do nothing and keep on watching Netflix and not reading, your intellect will arrive precisely where you have decided it should be.

The same is true for your happiness in life, spirituality, or relationships. If you are not happy, have no connection to God, or are not fulfilled in your relationships, then it is time to start making different choices, and that will lead you to more honoring results than what you want to experience.

You Can’t Do It All At Once or Can you?

It is my nature to tell you that you can’t attack all aspects of your life at once, but that is a cop-out. You can work on improvement in every part of your life and move toward more of story endswhat you desire. Some areas may be improving more quickly than others, but each can improve simultaneously.

Every time you are faced with one of these challenges, you choose how you think about it. Your choice may be a small one only you know, but isn’t it all about what type of person you can become? Make that choice to improve every chance you get.

There will be moments that you fail, there will be times when it is hard, but those times often will only serve as opportunities to reaffirm our desire to be a better person in whatever manner we desire.

Each of us has a talent inside that will allow us to be better.

“Everything is practice.”- Pele

“Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement. Get a little bit better every single day.”- Brian Tracy

“It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”- Robert Kennedy

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn

 

I am grateful for the ability to improve every day.

 

 

22

Making Choices

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 Conscious Choices 

Please don’t rely on scarecrows with hay in their heads to make choices. Do it consciously.

To make real choices in your life, first, you have to become fully conscious of the thoughts you entertain in your mind. Full consciousness is not easy to accomplish because our brains have been programmed throughout our lives to think a certain way and react almost unconsciously to certain stimuli. If you are responding to things in a patterned manner, then really, there is no choice, just patterned reactionary behavior. Today, one thought is to look at all of your preferences for only one day and ask yourself why you made that decision. Choice implies that we have a consciousness about us, so be aware of the thousands of options we make in a day and the repercussions of these decisions, big and small.

Conscious or Unconscious

It all begins when you seperate yourself from your thoughts. Too often, we have been conditioned to believe that we are our thoughts. An idea is only as accurate as we allow it to be. A  mind is a powerful tool, and it can help us solve complex problems and create positive situations, but it is just a tool, not who we are. What your thoughts for some time and notice their value; most are repeated ideas we have been thinking about for many years. But you don’t have to identify with them,

Be conscious and become aware or unconscious and unaware—your choice.

That is the real beginning of choice. You start to understand that you are not the mind, but the person behind the account who uses the tool to create your life.

The choice begins here. Once we realize we are not our thoughts, we become present in the moment. We are no longer compelled to react in a patterned response from a conditioned mind. Think out how often we try to recreate what we are familiar with because the brain likes comfortable. Your conscious is delighted with the known. Whereas the unknown is a hazardous and fearful experience because we feel there is no way to control it.

All real choices are made in the present moment with an understanding of the pros and cons of each moment and making a decision based on how it will affect your life. Not how  he past has gone, or what you imagine may go wrong tomorrow. Make choices based on the day’s feelings, thoughts, and possibilities. The option is not a reaction, and it is a conscious decision to act, not act or create.

Your Choices Define You

No matter if you are operating on a conscious or unconscious level, you will be defined by the choices you make. Are you resented by love or fear? When you make the decisions of love, the resulting feelings will be overwhelmingly good. If your choices are coming from fear, then bad feelings will result. These fundamental decisions are going to define you every moment. Look at your thoughts, which take your focus. Are they anchored in

Your choices will identify you and the kind of person you are in the world.

The past? Or centered on  what might happen in the future? The only moment that matters now.

Pull your thoughts into this moment and what is happening in your life right now. That is the one thing you are guaranteed at this moment. Either you find the joy in it or the pain, which is the natural choice we are making every moment. Life is a short ride, and the only thing you are guaranteed is that it will end at some point. At that moment, how do you want the choices you make today to look? Are you making decisions based on what is favorable for you? Or are you making choices you feel others will accept? Options that are safe and in accord with the programming from your past? Decisions that you can’t second-guess? Or are you making choices based on the present moment and who you are as unlimited potential? Too often, for me, this is not the case.

Today’s Choices

Take time today and be aware of where you are honestly in this life journey. Make choices of w at type of person you want to be, and then choose to take action from that frame of mind. Efforts in this a a will take you to the experiences you need to become the best version of yourself possible. Look at all your c ices and understand what direction they are pushing you. If they don’t make you better, it is time to start making different choices. The incredible thing about life is that it is never too late to take another direction and begin to become a better version of yourself. It will happen one c conscious choice at a time.

 “Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision.” —Tony Robbins

 “Life presents you with so many decisions. A lot of times, they re right in front of your face, and they’re really difficult, but we must make them.” —Brittany Murphy

“We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals.” —Stephen Covey

 “Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.” —Keri Russell

 

22

Time for A Little Honesty

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 Be Honest in All You Do; the deception of others can’t fool you.

honest abe
This guy is always honest.

I once heard that everyone tells at least one lie every day. It seemed a little cynical to me until I looked at my behavior and realized how much effort it takes to be honest with those you continually encounter and on the inside with yourself. It seems that it would be easier to be free of deceit and untruthfulness and to express sincerity in all of our statements and actions throughout the day. The truth is hidden to avoid the perceived pain we may cause by stating the fact. But there are consequences for all dishonesty, and the most significant is a lack of trust in people. But it doesn’t have to be that way, which is my thought for today. Be honest all day today with others and yourself.

Value of Truth

If you took all the money in the world away, what value do we each have? The amount of honesty we bring to the world is the highest currency there would be. There is comfort in being honest in life. If you do not accept lies from yourself, it is easy to spot them in others. How reliable someone else decides to be is their karma and their problem. You can only worry about yourself and the level of honesty you bring to the world. I think that to be the best version of yourself, being honest about your actions and, more importantly, your feelings are a requirement.

Spend as little time possible worrying about how your thoughts, words, or actions will affect others or their perception of you and be concerned about being honest. In the end, your name is all that you have anyway. Focus on sincerity throughout your day. Note anything less than truthful. Could you correct it? See what happens.

The main reasons people don’t always tell the truth are:
    • Fear of harm: The most straightforward reason to understand why we lie is for self-protection, including self-deception, to prevent damage to ourselves. This harm can be either physical or mental.
    • Fear of conflict: To some degree, we all fear to argue.
    • Fear of punishment: When growing up, how often did we lie about how well we did in school or started a fight? How often do we cover up our mistakes and transgressions?
    • Fear of rejection: Sometimes, our insecurities are the foundation of why we lie to each other because we want to remain popular in our relationships. Typically, it is harmless boasting to make ourselves appear more admirable to other people.
    • Fear of loss: This is usually the loss of personal objects, such as money or expensive valuables. Greed is the foundation for this reason and can be found in us. We often lie to make ourselves more desirable to other people too. Most conventional, people lie for fear of alienating their significant other. Other times, when our self-esteem starts to decline, we even lie to ourselves as a means to prevent loss of morale.
    • Altruistic Reasons: We often lie to help our friends and loved ones. How often do we flattery someone to make them feel better? Or don’t tell the whole truth because we are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings? This is the only selfless reason why we lie.

 

Choose Honesty Today

Just for one day, choose nothing but honesty. Be conscious of everything you say and do in your interactions and thoughts. Make them 100% honest according to your knowledge and understanding of the world and each situation you are in. By doing so, your character will grow positively, you will build trust with yourself and others, and there is a definite feeling that comes with being honest. Inside of yourself is the place is open, really counts.

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” -Thomas Jefferson

“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” – Spencer Johnson

“Honest hearts produce honest actions.”- Brigham Young

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN1nc_BHn5Y

 

22

What You STAND For

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What do you stand for? That is a simple question I read last week that has been on my mind, along with another issue that I will address later. As for what I stand for, I want specific, stable things that I am striving to represent every day of my life. So I made a shortlist explaining the sort of person I want to be identified as today. This list is with the apparent exception that I may have failed to live up to these things in the past, but in that process, I have realized the extreme value each possesses and why it is so important to know what you want to stand for. It defines who you are and the experience you have in life. More importantly, how my choices and behavior will positively affect others.

Choose to be Kind

Kindness- In all things, I would like service to be the first thing I practice. All people live their own lives and have their own experiences, and their actions and behavior are theirs. I can only control myself, and I would like kindness to be the first word someone thinks of when they think of me. In my experience, a lack of compassion arises when you put your needs ahead of everyone else, leading to fear and worry. Letting this go is easier than you might think. Through a practice of kindness, you will meet all of your needs, and you will make the world a little better place. Do you stand for kindness? I hope I do.

Honesty is the Best Policy

Honesty- A friend once told me that it is human to be dishonest. That may be so because we all seem to lie an awful lot. Small lies, big lies, manipulative lies are all a part of the package. I know that I have lived in my past, mostly out of fear that I might look wrong or, more often, to avoid hurting someone else’s feelings. But it has been a while since I have consciously told a lie because I don’t care what others think of me and what I do, and I care enough about everyone I know to say the cold hard truth. I want all people I deal with to know that what I tell them will be the truth to the best of my knowledge. I don’t think I can do better than that. All things seem to flow perfectly when the truth is told. Do you stand for honesty?

What You Do When Nobody is Watching

Integrity- Along with honesty is integrity. I will do what right all the time is. Not just when it is convenient or when others are around. I will do what is right because I am there, and even if nobody else knew of my transgression, I would know, and the energy from that failure would permeate the rest of my life and cause problems. I would instead behave with integrity and do what right and decent all of the time is. I want my conscious energy to be focused on being and doing the right thing. I will know it is the right thing because it will be in my heart. I am continually seeking guidance for proper guidance. Do you stand for integrity?

Smart is Best

Intelligence– I want to be represented by the idea that all things I do will at least have a general knowledge behind them. I can’t promise to be the most intelligent person in the world, but I can be as bright as I am capable of being. This idea means I am never satisfied that I know it all. There are new things to learn and new ways to grow until the ultimate end waiting for us all occurs. I endeavor to continually learn new things, expand my horizons, and become better today than I was yesterday, just a little bit. Do you stand for intelligence?

Be Positive or Go Home

Positive Attitude-In all things, you have a choice, to be positive or negative. To complain and give away all of your power or address all situations by feeling great about them. We all feel bad sometimes, but that doesn’t mean we need to accept that part of our attitude. It is a simple choice that determines the difference in your path. You look at the flaws of the things you perceive to be missing, or you are grateful for what you do have. We always have the choice to embrace the joy in a moment. I wish all days were perfect and full of easy things to be happy about, but they will not. Life will bring challenges for you to grow. It is up to you to accept the challenge and become better or shrink from it and become its negative, scared, fearful victim. I am hoping I always seek the lesson, am grateful for it, and approach things from the mindset of joy and opportunity. Do you stand for a positive attitude?

Let’s Work Together

Cooperation– People look at the world in two primary ways: cooperation or competition. When I was a young man, I loved playing sports, and I always thought the match was the thing to prove you were better than someone else. That missed the value entirely. The real lesson was that you could rise and become better as a collective through cooperation with your teammates than you were as an individual. Great things can be done cooperatively and far surpass the selfish things that competition brings. Looking back, I value all the people that I ever was a part of a team with at whatever level. There are many situations that, in some small way, work together to allow the group’s strengths to overcome the weakness we all have as individuals, and that plan is fantastic. I want to take that into every relationship I have, personally and in business ventures, always. Do you stand for cooperation?

Better Today than Yesterday

Improvement– In my life, I have noticed that either you are getting better or you are getting worse. It is sporadic to stay the same, even for a day. So it is my goal to improve 0.01% each day somehow, but on the best days, physically, mentally, and spiritually. If I can manage to do that, then I will be a better person today than yesterday and hopefully have a more positive effect on the world than before. You are going to change in some way. I am probably choosing to be better rather than getting worse. This is often a choice to seek the other things I stand for; this should happen naturally, but it is vital to set an example for others that is positive in a world full of bad examples. Do you stand for improvement?

So there is a shortlist that I could expand upon for many pages. Maybe this is the next book idea in some way. But for today, I wanted to state what I want to stand for to guide myself in life. To help me when I have questions about what I should do. I want to say yes or no based on the things that I stand for. What is it that you stand for, not just in words, but in thoughts and actions as well?

“Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble.:- John Madden

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”- Peter Marshall

“You must stand for something! It does not have to be grand, but it must be a positive that brings light to someone else’s darkness.”- Anthony Carmona

 

22

Character Development

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Character- the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.

CharacterIn our development as people, we result from the experience we endure in life. This fact is particularly actual when it comes to a person’s character. Either we have a good or bad feeling. The type we are provides a quality that is displayed clearly through a person’s thoughts, words, and actions. If you have traits you wish to improve yourself, we all have the free will to do this. Think about your character today, not just the areas you are doing well, but all of the ones you want to improve in. Character is what you do when you think nobody is looking. Remember, you are always looking. You can’t fool yourself. Consciously develop the character you want to represent you and share it with the world. It will be your legacy, one way or the other. The great news is you get to decide what impact you will have.

Character is in Constant Development

A person’s character is not chiseled in stone the day they are born, and it is developed through conscious choice over a lifetime. It has many aspects to Characterit. The way you treat others, level of honesty valued in life, consistency of behavior, the story of courage, ability to think, confidence in yourself, integrity, and many other factors all combine to create your character. We are taught many of these things, but we are continually adding to them through experience, even if we are not conscious of this process. People enter your life and change you, and a new understanding of loss or gain shifts your perspective.

Once you know that you can develop your character, there is no excuse not to find ways to improve. It involves two simple things:  1. honesty about yourself and  2. a willingness to grow and develop. Nothing is stopping you from enhancing but your self-imposed limitations. Find your strong points and celebrate them. Find areas in need of improvement, set goals to get better, take action to do just that. At the end of life, you will be the one responsible for all that you did or did not do. There is no deceiving yourself then. Don’t lie to yourself now. Develop your character exactly as you want it to be. Your choices in every moment of every day decide if your character traits or positive or negative.

Your Character Is Important

Not only will your positive or negative character influence your own life, but it will have sway over everyone you come in contact with as well. There is an energy connected to each thought we have, and positive or negative will be evident to those we have a connection with on our daily journey. Think of Characterthe people you enjoy having contact with, and think of those you don’t. With every interaction you have each day, the person you interact with has one of those two reactions. Your character determines which one.

Your choices in character will stem from your preferences of thought. It is a constant struggle to maintain the positive qualities of honesty over deceit, kindness over meanness, giving over selfishness, confidence over doubt, or love over fear. The decisions we make in character are vitally important because they determine your real value to the world and its collective consciousness. Developing a better attitude improves the world.

Tough Times Build Character

Stressful moments are, unfortunately, a part of living life. Tough times come to us, whether we feel we want them or need them. But there is an element of need we all have of roadblocks in life to grow into the best versions of ourselves. It is impossible to see what good can come from a situation when you are in a storm of pain and suffering. You are just in survival mode. But as that mode kicks in, you have to start to grow and change, or you will be overwhelmed and unhappy for the rest of your life.

Finding hidden strength and talent waiting hidden in your being is the reward for tough times. The character still maintains the things you think are correct even though the pain and sadness of life are real characters. In these extreme moments of choice, our true person is developed and revealed to the world. If you don’t like who you are becoming, then choose differently. The development of a positive life or a negative existence is all up to you and the choices you make.

Be Conscious of Your Character

CharacterThat makes the challenge today to look at your character honestly and critically. It isn’t easy to look at the fiber of our being and see where we fall short. But it is in this realistic vision your path of improvement will become evident. Do you need to be more honest? Braver? Follow through better? Be kinder? Be more accepting? Love yourself more? Whatever the points in need of improvement are, you can change and improve them. Nothing can stop you except for you. Be conscious of your character and what makes up your vital essence of today’s thoughts, words, and actions. By developing this element of your personality, you will be defined to the world: one way or another. There is no covering up or hiding from the results.

“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” –Helen Keller

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.” –Albert Einstein

“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.” –Abigail Van Buren