Hearing a Whale

"Praise does wonders for our sense of hearing." -Arnold H. Glasow

We have been told over and over again by health professionals and our mothers, never to use a cotton swab to clean your ears. The ear wax itself helps protect the lining of our ear canal, and excessive build-up can lead to blockage, or hearing loss as the result of poor ear hygiene.

What if you were a Blue Whale, without any ability to maintain good ear hygiene?

Yes, whales have ears and yes, whales experience wax build-up in their ears. So much that scientists at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History collected that wax from inside the skull of the dead whale back in 2007 and preserved it. The column of wax was nearly a foot long. Those same people studied the contents of that ear wax and it revealed quite a bit.

If you think about it, a whale traversing the oceans collects samples of the water quality and what is in it over those many years of its life. Each layer found within that ear wax correspond to six months of the whale's life and if you examine the chemical compounds found in those layers, you will figure out what and when the whale was exposed to certain pollutants.

As I read the story, it became more apparent to me just how many pollutants we as humans take in each day. The pollutants I am referring to are of the verbal kind; negative words, comments and jabs at our life. We are subjected to a constant barrage of bad news, complaints and generally destructive commentary. As adults, we have bulit up a certain amount of ear wax to shield us.

But what about young children?

The words we say to children that fill there minds with self-defeating teachings. Words such as, "you will never" or "why can't you be better" and many worse things that harm their formative years. These pollutants collect in our minds and collect over the years as we grow older. The crud builds up in our ears and eventually cause problems of balance and the ability to hear what is good.

It can be much more difficult to clean those many years of harsh words from our minds then it is to simply clean the wax from our ears. But it can be done if you truly want. It begins by speaking great words to yourself, by believing in oneself and knowing each of us have place and purpose in life. Greatness exists within and you have to believe it first before anyone else will.

Clean the ear wax from your life that has been holding you back. Hear the great things that your life can be and listen more clearly.

Stay inspired my friends!

21 Considerations

"What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action." -Meister Eckhart

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
4. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
5. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
7. Believe in love at first sight.
8. Never laugh at any one's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
11. Don't judge people by their relatives.
12. Talk slowly but think quickly.
13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
15. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
17. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
19. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
21. Spend some time alone.

Take time to adjust things in your life. Be of good cheer and attitude, life will reward you many times over and stay inspired my friends.

Open a Door

"Hope is the dream of a waking man." -Aristotle

It is interesting to note that when things are going good, we will optimistically look to the future and all of the possibilities that exist. We will consider that building a great life and having success is achievable.

Yet when times are tough, all we tend to do is focus on what is going wrong and how life will never get us to where we want to be.

It is during those tough times when we most need to understand that a door exists through which possibility stands waiting for you. Hope and vision for whatever life has in store for you is through that door.

So even though you might be in a tough place currently, continue to hold onto your dreams. Know that possibility is on the other side of that door. A door that can be opened if only you make the choice to turn the handle and walk through it.

Stay inspired my friends!

Bathe Daily

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily." -Zig Ziglar

A day comes along and you decide that a change is needed in your life. You are tired of retracing the same steps and begin looking for a different way. So you attend one of those seminars given by a great motivational or spiritual speaker. It could be Anthony Robbins, where "one decision can change your life forever."

Maybe it is Joel Olsteen that "changes your life in 28 days."

The next day you read the writings of Andy Andrews in order to "master the seven decisions" in your life.

It could be the unique perspective of someone like Kyle Maynard that touches a part of your life.

Or even my own readers that experience "raising the BAR" each day.

There are so many different speakers. Each are great motivators to help teach and inspire you to do great things in your life. I have either listened to, read or attended to hear each of them and many others. I enjoy listening to their different perspectives and the stories each presents. Like Dr. Wayne Dyer or Deepak Chopra; you can find inspiration and motivation in many different forms.

The books that you can find out there from the Alchemist to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, so much exists. And not every word of advice or presentation will work for you. There are some that you may completely disagree with. But know that it is not a matter of finding a perfect match. It is a matter of finding what works in your life.

To blindly follow a single idea is not the best choice you can make. We as humans have the gift of decision and choice. By examining many different views and ideas, we can formulate a reasoned and valued choice for what works in our own lives. If you don't, chances are you will miss hearing or reading something that could be the one thing that makes a difference in your life.

The point is to keep learning and keep motivating yourself. One seminar will be great and sustain you for a week or two. But then you need to 'recharge' that motivation. It could be another seminar, another DVD or a daily read (hint - hint, my books) or any of the other great books out there.

Motivation and attitude eventually become habit, but to help you along, remember to "bathe" daily in motivation. It will help keep you moving towards your dreams and goals.

And it will help you stay inspired my friends.