A Simple Way

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” - Dr. Seuss

There are days when you struggle to figure out what you want, need or would like to do. There are distractions happening all around you and the answers simply do not come along.

For me, I have those days trying to find the answers to questions posed to me. In some instances, I struggle for a good share of time on and then I simply set them aside for a while. In those moments I will go and do something completely different.

Take my mind off the issue, allowing it to open up.

Typically I will research other issues, read part of a book, or even surf the web just throwing out search words. In once particular case I searched the internet using the words "doctor seuss answers" because I figured he always has an answer for most anything.

And something new out of the blue happens.

As I read through the information, the quote shown above struck me as simple enough. So I went back to the work problem and started from scratch looking only at the most basic and simple of solutions. To my delight, the solution came fairly quickly.

It was a reasonably simple solution as well. Was it Dr. Seuss who helped me find the answer or dumb luck? I tend to think it was a matter of looking at it from a different perspective; the easy perspective.

We tend to over complicate our lives and over think it.

Sometimes the answer is truly simple and it is the question we made complicated. Try not to over complicate your life. Sometimes the best way to get past the complicated is by choosing not to let it be complicated.

Taking the simple path you can get to your destination quicker. If a boulder sits in the way, it might be easier to walk around rather then trying to roll it out of the way. You will find a way.

Stay inspired my friends

Confidence With Learning

"I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning to sail my ship." - Aeschylus

It starts early in life, from the moment we are born.

We begin our learning process.

We learn new sounds while in the womb, figuring out the voice of our mother or father.
With first light of birth, we connect voices to faces, processing every bit of information.

On it goes through pre-school, elementary, high-school and college.
It matters not not that you go through all of the formal education.
Knowledge is a constant thing in our life.

The more we learn, the more we understand the world around us.
The more we learn, the more we understand our place in it.

We can choose not to learn.
We can choose ignorance and become mired in the mud of life.

Or we can choose to learn and lift ourselves to greater possibility.

These are choices we can make each and every day.

Choose to learn more each day.
Choose to make your life greater.

Stay inspired my friends.

Overcoming No-See-Ums

“Only the moon's smile can cure the unseen scars of darkness.” ― Munia Khan

It has been several days since I have been able to write. My week was filled with work at our company's annual customer convention called EMCWorld in Las Vegas, Nevada. A place for over 10,000 people to get together and learn about the latest trends and products in data storage. Afterwards, I took a few days and traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah.

A chance to view one of nature's great treasures.

Just outside of Salt Lake City is a lake called the Great Salt Lake. It is the western hemisphere's largest salt water lake and fourth largest in the world covering anywhere from 1,000 to 3,300 square miles depending upon the time of year and water levels.

For my visit the weather was cooperative and a few of us traveled out to Antelope Island State Park which sits in the middle of this vast lake. Antelope Island is the largest of ten islands located within the Great Salt Lake and home to abundant wildlife and various promontory spots to hike and capture breath taking views.

Capturing the beauty nature has to offer.

A group of us walked up Buffalo Point to capture these views and as we reached the peak the wind calmed and swarms of hatching Ceratopogonidae flies, otherwise known as "No-see-ums" found us in great numbers. Not often am I distracted from the views but these flies were doing their very best to keep me from enjoying this time.

Very quickly I took some pictures, one of which you see above. What you do not see are the flies swarming all around me and many in our group starting their descent in a very quick manner. These flies are so small you simply can not see them, thus the name "no-see-ums".

Descending the rocky path, we were harassed by these unseen foes.

Many times in life we are attacked by unseen detractors in life. These are the people trying to ruin your life experience. Many times we allow them to destroy our joy of all that is good around us. The detractors come at us with their negative attitudes, trying to pull us down from our joy. These detractors could also be those circumstances in life which try to defeat us on our journey towards something great.

The unseen forces in life will try to knock us off balance but we each have the ability to succeed in spite of their ways. We can still see the beauty which surrounds us while fighting off their bites or words of discouragement. There is so much for us to enjoy in life that we must not allow ourselves to be distracted.

Overcome the "no-see-ums" in your life.

Keep your focus on the beauty which exists all around you. And stay inspired my friends!

Breakfast With Salman

#RewindWeek from June 2011

"With the brush we merely tint, while the imagination alone produces color." - Theodore Gericault

Once in a while you get the chance to brush by fame. In this case it was Salman Rushdie. Or so I believed it was he when having breakfast at my hotel in London one morning.

I was on a business trip and due to my frequent hotel stays, the club room is a convenience which makes the trip much easier. The quiet of these mornings away from the hustling restaurants are a pleasant and invigorating respite.

There are those who always asked me afterwards, "Why not ask to take a picture, why not engage in a conversation, why not...."

But I did not ask and here is why.

In all of my travels, it is very rare that I come within ear shot or even see famous people. For all of the media exposure so many people get, there are many others who are average, everyday people like you and me.

So it was with great interest to me that the man sitting one table away seemed very familiar. In my hotel in central London, the business lounge provides breakfast on the top floor for members. This particular morning I chose a later time to arrive.

With only three of us in the room, there was no particular reason I sat at a table near this man. The only thing which drove me in that direction was closeness to the television showing international news. It also gave me a clear view of the Thames River.

Maybe the river view was my primary reason for sitting where I did.

There was something about the presence of the man sitting near me. His familiar face told me he was of some importance or celebrity. After a short while it dawned on me that it could very well be Salman Rushdie. Yes, that famous author who wrote Satanic Verses which became the scorn of many Muslims worldwide.

In 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini, (religious leader of Iran at the time) issued a fatwa or decree telling all Muslims to kill Rushdie and his publishers. Salman Rushdie was placed under police protection by the British government. As best I have learned, Salman has not been harmed, but it is said thirty eight others connected with the book have been killed.

The power of the written word still amazes me.

So my mind kept thinking and rationalizing his presence in this place. No body guards or entourage, yet after so many years, I had to think he had slipped back into some level of obscurity and maybe it just was not as big of a concern anymore.

But was it really Salman Rushdie?

I never asked because I have always felt there are times of approach and there are times of quiet. This certainly seemed like a time of quiet. We both nodded a good morning to each other at one point and then left each other to our quiet, peaceful breakfast.

This man may have simply been a person who looked extremely similar to Salman, but I like to think otherwise. My story is that I had breakfast with Salman Rushdie and we enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the morning.

All of us need these quiet moments in time.

It allows us to pull ourselves back from the hurried and noise filled life which surrounds us each day. The quiet allows time to reflect on things that matter to us. A time to let down our guard a little bit and not have to be looking over our shoulder.

Maybe next time I'll ask to be sure, but then again knowing the real answer just might disappoint me. Then the peaceful and quiet breakfast I had with Salman Rushdie will disappear forever for me. And I chose to allow that memory to linger for myself and for Salman as well.

Stay inspired my friends.

Just Open The Door

#RewindWeek from May 2012

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.” - Eleanora Duse

There is a great song that many of you are probably familiar with titled Mr. Blue Sky, written by Jeff Lynne and performed by the group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). In a BBC Radio interview, Jeff Lynne talked about how he came up with this song.

He had been staying in a Swiss chalet trying to write his bands next album after release of the previous album A New World Record. As he says, "It was dark and misty for 2 weeks, and I didn't come up with a thing. Suddenly the sun shone and it was, 'Wow, look at those beautiful Alps.' I wrote Mr. Blue Sky and 13 other songs in the next 2 weeks."

A blue sky to lift our spirits is like a smile upon someone's face when they greet you.

It is the ability of kindness to make your day better. It all starts with a simple gesture or sky of blue. And while I have this song in my head, another song by the same group comes to mind. A song which speaks about picking ourselves up and getting on with it.

While a blue sky may appear, we also need to do something about it. We have to create movement in order to create a better life for ourselves. See those lyrics below from a song titled The Diary of Horace Wimp. See if it helps create inspiration in your life.

The Diary Of Horace Wimp by Jeff Lynne

Monday
Late again, today,
He'd be in trouble though he'd say he was sorry,
He'd have to hurry out to the bus.

Tuesday
Horace was so sad,
He'd never had a girl that he could care for
And if he was late once more, he'd be out.

Don't be afraid, just knock on the door,
Well he just stood there mumblin' and fumblin'.
Then a voice from above said -
"Horace Wimp, this is your life,
Go out and find yourself a wife.
Make a stand and be a man,
And you will have a great life plan."

Wednesday
Horace met a girl,
She was small and she was very pretty,
He thought he was in love, he was afraid.

Thursday:
Asks her for a date,
The cafe down the street tomorrow evening,
His head was reeling, when she said "Yes O.K."

Friday
Horace, this is it,
He asks the girl if maybe they could marry,
When she says "gladly." Horace cries.

Sunday
Everybody's at the church,
When Horace rushes in and says
"Now here comes my wife, for the rest of my life." and she did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even when the dark and rainy clouds appear in your life, a blue sky sits just behind them. Get up and stay inspired my friends. Go out there and grab a great life. Go ahead and check out the following video of the song performed by ELO. Don't be afraid, just click on the play.

And stay inspired my friends!

Friday Pilgrim

“I want to know what passion is. I want to feel something strongly.” ― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Guest blogger this Friday comes from my son Joe of Denver, Colorado. He loves music and no surprise today is all about one of his favorite artists. So sit back, listen and enjoy this lazy Friday afternoon.

And stay inspired my friends.

pil·grim ˈpilɡrəm/
noun
1. a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.
synonyms: worshiper, devotee, believer
verb
1. travel or wander like a pilgrim.

Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, GA. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring. Michael Houser and George McConnell have also played lead guitar for the band.

Since their inception in Athens, GA in 1986, Widespread Panic has risen to elite status among American jam bands. Following in the steps of other Southern rock jam bands such as The Allman Brothers, they have influences from the Southern rock, blues-rock, progressive rock, funk and hard rock genres.

They are frequently compared to other jam band "road warriors" such as the Grateful Dead and Phish. Widely renowned for their live performances, as of 2013, they hold the record for number of sold out performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO at 48 and Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA at 20.

Michael Houser was a founding member of the band and played lead guitar. He passed away from pancreatic cancer on August 10th, 2002. He will be forever remembered as the defining guitar sound and transitional genius for Widespread Panic.

www.widespreadpanic.com

Walking For A Cause

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” ― John Bunyan

Our son Jonathan has Crohns Disease and works every day to live a normal life. For over ten years he has dealt with this condition and has still succeeded in making it through high school, college and graduate school.

On May 7th, he takes a step in raising money to help combat this illness.

Will you help me me reach my goal in helping us raise some needed research dollars!

This year, I will be walking in the Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Take Steps is CCFA's national walk the nation's largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. It is a casual 2-3 mile stroll to raise money for crucial research, bringing us closer to a future free from Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Over 1.6 million American adults and children are affected by these digestive diseases. While many suffer in silence, Take Steps brings this community together in a fun, energetic and supportive atmosphere.

Your donation will help support local patient programs, as well as important research projects.

This cause is very close to me and I appreciate your help as we fight for cures!

In addition to donating, you can join me at the event. There will be food, music and family activities. The more money we raise, the closer we will be to making life more manageable for patients who live with these diseases every day.

Please join me or donate in my efforts to support CCFA in finding cures!

Stay inspired my friends!

Run, Buddy, Run

“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” ― Dean Karnazes

What do you do when the mob is after you? What if all the toils and troubles of life seem to be gaining the upper hand on you?

Run, Buddy, Run.

Keep moving, keep pressing forward in life and eventually those troubles will fade into the past. But you have to keep running.

Now that is advice we can all use.

Stay inspired my friends.

Love The Color Of It All

"Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed." - Cavett Robert

A friend from Cork City, Ireland sent me the following video which was perfect timing some years back.

To see the faces of people as the excitement rushed through the crowd was quite thrilling. My wife and I have been on this same city shopping street in large crowds. Many times it is the usual passing of people trying their best to shop and enjoy a crowded Saturday.

What can happen among thousands of strangers?

An excitement of something bigger then one self and the enjoyment of just living. While the video ends and the Saturday shopping crowds go on about their business, for a moment a different possibility existed. We then go back to our normal movement from shop to shop, completing our unfinished business but maybe with a bigger smile in our heart.

The group Bell X1 sings, "I love the color of it all." Each of us can love the color of life around us and carry that excitement within us.

You might be surprised how much your heart can carry once you begin to fill it.

Stay inspired my friends!

It Is Good

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." - John Wesley

A couple of weeks ago, the Christian calendar observed Good Friday. Hopefully you do not go running away by changing your browser to Google or any other search engine. I am not here to talk religion but about a way of living.

The giving of ones self for a greater purpose.

It is an idea of sacrifice in our life for others or giving ourselves up to something greater. We each sacrifice something in our lives whether realized or not.

As children we learn to share our toys. We give up control of the Ninja Turtle and play in a group in a much more fun way.

As young adults we date, foregoing poker night with the guys or girls doing whatever it is girls hang out doing.

Marriage occurs and possibly a new baby comes along, so we sacrifice personal wants in order to provide for our child.

Giving up something for ourselves in order to give to someone else.

It is an act of sacrifice on our part for the betterment of someone else. The sacrifice of giving money to a worth while charity. We know the same money could have been used to buy a new fancy boat or the latest designer clothes.

We each have out own self indulgences to which we send our money or spend our time. But the sacrifice of something personal can one day change the life of another. It can change your own life.

It might mean giving of one's time to help another move their belongings or donating time to help feed the hungry. Impacting the life of another person in need has a powerful effect upon them and on you.

When you do for others, you are doing quite a bit for yourself.

So yes, this might have seemed like an article about the Christian belief of Jesus sacrificing his life for us. But the principle holds true for all religions and non-religious people. When we help each other, the world becomes a better place.

We become a better people.

Find a way to involve yourself in the lives of others. The return on your investment is a better life for you and everyone else.

Stay inspired my friends!

How Balanced Is Your Life

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."
- Robert Fulgham

Trying to live a balanced life, it is something each of try to do but can be difficult to achieve. A well balanced life is very much like the wheel of a bicycle. When perfectly round it rolls smoothly down the road.

An unbalanced wheel causes pain and slow movement.

We concentrate too much on one aspect of our life and the others fall into disrepair. Too much work and your family life suffers. Too much play time and your financial condition can weaken.

So much to look after.

Where is the center of your balance? Are you creating time for each area of your life? Is your life's wheel smooth and round or do certain areas need to be worked on? How do you even know?

Take a look at the diagram and imagine YOU in the center of the wheel. Each area of your life has a value. Again, imagine a series of numbers starting at one closest to you counting out to nine on the edges.

Is your spiritual life a two or possibly doing real well and could be considered an eight. Carefully consider each area of your life and place a value on the chart next to it. How closely do the numbers match?

If you connected the numbers, would they create a round circle or a very odd shaped pattern. Whatever you come up with, the intent is to help you start looking at your life and the area that might need attention.

I did not give you the number ten to use.

Ten is commonly associated with being perfect and as a person who is growing and understands what life is like will know we will never be perfect. We can be very good at things and strive for greatness, but balance is what we want in life.

Now when you have finished rating yourself, understand this is not a contest. It is a guide for you find out well your life is balanced. Look at those areas you marked low and begin to work on those areas first.

As you begin to bring balance back into your life, remember it is about the balance. Once you have achieved that, you can begin to increase your life from all all areas being a six to all areas being an eight.

Bring balance back into your life and experience a great life.

Stay inspired my friends!

Accumulation of Stuff

"What we do as individuals matters. It adds up." - Maurice Strong

It was closing in on 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Mesa, Arizona. A normal day for any hot desert location.

We were spending time attending to family matters. My wife, sister-in-law and a world of emotion surrounding our current task. With all that was going on, the intense heat was a mild distraction.

Even the search for any amount of shade under which one could parking the car was coming at a premium. If you find a bit of shade, it makes a huge difference and air conditioning continues to run at full blast trying to stay ahead of the searing heat.

Our time in Mesa was not a social visit in nature. We were handling my mother-in-law's care after her second husband passed away. Both were in their eighties at the time and Mom was in a nursing care facility.

So our task was to finish out the matters which one has during these times. It meant ensuring final arrangements were made, the home cleaned out and sold; the end of life things which each of us will go through eventually.

It reminded me of all the 'stuff' we accumulate in life.

The papers, the tools, the knick-knacks, mementos, and pictures we amass over our lifetime. There were the prescription bottles, clothes, and shoes which filled the cupboards and closets. Gardening tools and outdoor gnomes which spoke to an active life once roaming the grounds.

As we continued the process, I realized how little all of those material items mean. Their value was nothing compared to the life we have lived, or the love and goodness we had shared with others. All of us accumulate all of these things through out our life.

The good, the bad, and the ugly; yes, that was a reference to a Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. But we ourselves are also an accumulation of those things we have done with our life. We are not measured by our money or possessions, nor are we remembered for having the coolest car or the fanciest house.

The memory of me or you or anyone is based upon how we lived our life. It is based upon how we treated, loved, hated, or lifted others. And while none of us are perfect in our life's accumulation, what we can do now is strive to live it well.

Be a positive force in the lives of others and leave of memory of our life with people saying, "there lived a great person who did great things for others."

Stay inspired my friends!

Changing Inside

by Bansky

"Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." - William James

Stay inspired my friends!

Wearing Overalls

"There are really only two dimensions to the concept of attitude -- you either behave as though you are a victim of circumstance, or you take full responsibility for your situation." - Richard Rudd

I believe it was Thomas Edision who said, "Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." A very appropriate quote when I hear people tell me nothing good ever comes their way.

Tough life to live when you view from a negative perspective.

Many times we fail to have good things happen in our life because we simply fail to put on those overalls and work to be in a position of opportunity. An author, albeit slightly odd in my opinion, Carlos Castaneda said, "The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same."

So yes, we work at being negative or work at being positive about our life. It is work we have to undertake either way. So why would we choose to be negative if it take work to accomplish either type of attitude.

Are you willing to fit into those overalls? Will you work to put yourself in a position of opportunity? Or are you simply going to work hard at the negative aspects of your life?

Stand on the side of the road watching or get in the flow of life.

You have the ability to make things happen in your life. You control the attitude and the happiness which emanates from within. Put on those overalls and work hard on a positive attitude. Let life offer more then you ever imagined.

Stay inspired my friends.

Allowing Fear To Enter

“Courage is not the absence of fear, it's to feel the fear and face it anyway.”
― Jeanette Coron

fear
ˈfir/

noun
plural noun: fears
1. unpleasant emotion caused by belief someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. "drivers threatening to quit jobs in fear after cabby's murder"
synonyms: terror, fright, fearfulness, horror, alarm, panic, trepidation, dread, distress

verb
3rd person present: fears
1. be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening. "he said he didn't care about life so why should he fear death?"
synonyms: be afraid of, be fearful of, be scared of, dread, live in fear of, be terrified of

I do not fear clowns.

Happy go-lucky Circus clowns, or the scariest of terror movie politicians. Clowns are not on my list of fears. I have a brother who had a slight phobia of them and the guy in the video below. To me clowns are people who simply put on too much make-up.

Any fears I have are mine and have either been faced, dealt with or accepted for what they are. It is not to say there are new fears which come along and attempt to get in my way. Fears old or new, come and go just like everyday circumstance.

But what is fear?

Fear "is a vital response to physical and emotional danger—if we didn't feel it, we couldn't protect ourselves from legitimate threats. But often we fear situations that are far from life-or-death, and thus hang back for no good reason."

Your fear of clowns could be a fear of drowning, fear of failure, fear of success or fear of all things brought to your computer screen through either the news or social media. Fear keeps you from moving forward towards a new place in life.

Approaching the fear.

The dark alley, the crowd of people or any circumstance which is labeled as a fear needs to be confronted or at least resolved in some manner.

So take a trip to Applebee's Restaurant for clown night and try to enjoy the Double-Glazed Baby Back Ribs while the clown makes a balloon animal.

And stay inspired my friends!

Laughing With God

"Laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you’re just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy." — John Cleese

There are plenty of news stories from around the globe, each and every day when we wonder the why and how of it all. We can run to many sources of reason because many of the issues confronting daily life use many different reasons. There are times when it is pure circumstance.

I search for those reasons including places within my own faith.

There, I just brought up the subject and notice I did not say religion. There is a difference between the two with plenty of good articles and discussions available for you to read. I fully understand there are many belief systems out there some which do not believe in a God.

In times of no need; do we still believe in God?

An example of simple daily life is our interaction with other people. During those periods in our life when things are going well and need is of no consequence, we can laugh with our friends and enjoy the day. The tendency is to take for granted our friendships when things are going good. We rush then to find those same people when we are in need.

In times of no need, do we still believe in others?

It is here I believe my God has both a serious and comical side. In the best of times, like a good friend, we can laugh about things together. We can share a good joke and forget the day's problems. But the relationship can be taken for granted.

In times of need, my friend is there for me.

Regina Spektor sang a song which spoke to our need during both the good and bad times. It tells of our independent human spirit that still has dependence upon each other. To laugh with each other, with our God, and find our way through those times when reasons cannot explain the news of the day.

Regina Spektor - official website

Laugh with others during both the good and bad times. Be there at all times for others and they will be there for you.

Stay inspired my friends!

For All The Blue Tarps

Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times

“Sometimes it's easy to walk by because we know we can't change someone's whole life in a single afternoon. But what we fail to realize it that simple kindness can go a long way toward encouraging someone who is stuck in a desolate place.” ― Mike Yankoski

My wife and I were recently in Los Angeles visiting our daughter's family. We had a great time visiting them and also with a few of my relatives. I will admit that Atlanta has a ways to go in the pure amount of traffic which exists in the Los Angeles area.

During our travels through out the L.A. area, we noticed a high level of what can only be termed homelessness. Current estimates as of February 2015 indicate over 44,000 homeless people in L.A. county alone.

The signs of this are the many blue tarp villages along and under overpasses of the freeways. But this is not confined to Los Angeles, every state, every country, every place on this great earth has homelessness.

US Department of Housing and Urban Development

2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress

I get it, there are many reasons for homelessness in this world.

Poverty, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, poor physical or mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, family and relationship breakdown including domestic violence, physical and/or sexual abuse. And yes, choice by some.

All of this said, we cannot individually solve this huge problem. It is something which cannot simply be ignored by driving faster down the freeway or looking the other way. It is an issue that can bring down society eventually. The cost either to ignore or treat the symptoms will require hard, tough and expensive choices. None of those costs am I here to debate.

What we can do though is not turn a blind eye.

We can offer a friendly smile, maybe a cup of coffee, a meal or some small chance of hope.

I can be ridiculed for the simple minded ideas but hope is something which can spark another day, another opportunity or another possibility in the eyes of someone facing homelessness, poverty or where a next meal might come from.

The human spirit is to have for and want compassion from others. If we can offer that spark, maybe we can ignite something greater. The something greater might just be the social, political or human solutions which turn someone's life around.

Stay inspired my friends!

Time As It Passes

As time passes by....

"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at once." - Anonymous

There is so much we want to happen here and now. We want the special someone to appear, that new home or car, kids or high-level position at work. We want everything and all in a matter of moments.

Yet we know patience and time will take place before we get any of it.

Then there are days when so much occurs to us. In the quote given above, it continues by saying "... lately it doesn't seem to be working." This is the part where all of the turmoil or pain seems to enter in.

We go through days when all of the world seems to be falling in upon us. Down deep though we know time will pass and all will be well once again. But it certainly does not seem to be the case when you are in the thick of it. The existence of time has a way of working for us and at other times against us.

Time is just that, time. You draw a long line and place a dot on it to mark your location.

Our journey in life is a human one and time passes on to the next event or events. Know the passing of time will change our circumstance and condition. Whatever is going on in your life at this moment, time will pass and things can change.

Stay inspired my friends!

A Dollar Given

"The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any." - Katharine Whitehorn

Over the past few days we have been assisting our kids with their vehicle issue.

It can be difficult when in school or starting out on your own to maintain good reliable transportation. It is not much and believe me the cars are not the most current or the nicest wheels to have. But what they have is transportation and gives them the freedom to get to school and work as needed.

The interesting thing is I feel a need to develop and grow a money tree. It is not that I believe my kids think money grows on a tree. It is that I wish I had a money tree in the back yard to pick from which would make things so much easier.

My wish for a money tree is certainly not unique.

Each of us would love to have one of our very own. But since there is no such thing as a money tree, it means we need to be wise about our money. If I am diligent and smart about things, I will end up at a point in which the money is working for me instead of me working for money.

Many good books to learn how to handle money.

What I have found is simple common sense seems to work. I do not allow money to become the object of my desire. I understand that money can help me do for others. Just collecting and hoarding money will not fulfill my life.

What fulfills my life is the ability to help others.

We all wish we had more money in our lives. I wish the same thing but I wish it only so that more can be done for others. I sometimes think of myself as a poor mans philanthropist. But would I make a good rich mans philanthropist? I hope so and am willing to try.

Until that happens I will keep doing what I am doing with what I have.

I will continue to write my blog. I will continue to write books. If I earn anything, that money gets turned around to help others in small ways which can make a big difference in peoples lives.

You can do the same thing.

Look to donate money, items or take a few extra dollars earned to help someone out. You will be surprised by how good you feel and the return in unmeasured ways you will reap over time. It is in the giving that will yield more for you life then you could ever imagine.

Stay inspired my friends!

I Choose To Believe

Matthew 28:5-10

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Have a great and awe inspiring Easter Sunday!