Deeper Than First Look

"The beauty of a person must be seen through their eyes, for that is the doorway to their heart." - Unknown

Do you judge people at first look? To use an old adage about 'judging a book by its cover' there is so much we can miss if we do. And most every one of us do judge others at first glance at one time or another. It is partly biological, to assess the situation quickly.

But the tone of our encounter gets set by first impressions.

Knowing this to be our tendency, it becomes important for you to understand that it is happening. If your first impression is undesirable, a second try is always important. Even if you see a person who doesn't dress the way you think normal people should, the inner person is who you need to seek.

Long ago I knew a friend of my older brother. His name was Richard and was known to associate with a pretty rough and rowdy crowd. When Richard would rode up on his Harley motorcycle, many would take one glance and instantly think trouble. But if you talked to him, he was actually a very nice person. I am sure he had a streak of issues, but looking beneath the surface one could find something an outer look could not convey.

Search for the hidden goodness and many times you will find it.

The same could be said of a "wolf in sheep's clothing" when it comes to first impressions. The well dressed and spoken person could actually be something completely different inside. The veneer of outward appearance can be quite deceiving.

One must look beneath the surface and into the eyes of a person to see who they really are. First looks and first impressions are a generalization our minds make to assess something quickly. Knowing this will give you an ability to look deeper to find the real person.

It might be that your first impression was correct.

Then again, you may find something completely different and you would have missed it without looking further.

Stay inspired my friends!

Free To Connect

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” ― Charlotte Brontë

I am back in the United States after a business trip to China. It was a very successful trip and the folks in China are pretty talented. I spent much of my time getting to know some of the new folks and reacquainting myself with those I have known.

The disappointing thing during my trip is that I was unable to blog while there. China has certain sites blocked for a variety of reasons. Those reasons are based upon Chinese government regulations. You can agree or disagree, but it is how things are done in China.

The list of sites currently blocked in China is a pretty interesting list of names. The list includes sites that I use to write my blog, so it pretty much shut me down for the week.

It is not for me to argue with China and how they control access to the internet. What I would like to say is that it feels good to have open and free ability to access the internet. Some may argue too much access given the varied types of searchable content. It also feels good to have an ability to write once again and provide hopefully a spark of motivation or inspiration.

Even without the internet, we are all free in our ability to connect and impact other peoples lives. Enjoy your freedom and turn that freedom into helping someone else.

Stay inspired my friends.

Pedaling Along In Life

"Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane." - Criss Jami

I will be there shortly folks. I'm traveling on business in a country where Google and its associated applications are not looked well upon.

Enjoy some of my older posts this week and I'm pedaling as fast as I can to get back to writing.

Stay inspired my friends!

Beyond Your Walls

"Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances." - Wayne Dyer

The life we build around ourselves can be like walls built to imprison us. The life we think we are building might seem idyllic from the vantage point of being inside. But eventually the windows become dirtied from the outside, so we cover them with blinds. Not wishing to see the world through a soot covered window pane we close ourselves in even further.

The view is better if we just refuse to look outside.

The door through which we entered becomes hard to open as its hinges have rusted from lack of use. The locks gather dust until we no longer have the ability to insert or turn a key. The idea of even opening the door begins to fade from our mind.

We begin to judge the outside world in a critical manner.

Nothing beyond our walls is good enough to bring us forth. We shield ourselves from what we believe is an ever depressing world. Our view inside becomes old and outdated. The sameness of our inside life grows cold and stale.

What we fail to see is that our walls will eventually fall in on themselves. Without stepping outside to tend to the gardens, our life will be overrun by the tall weeds and encroaching vines which destroy our home.

We are meant to go beyond our walls.

When we step outside the walls of your own life you will find the garden is meant to be tended by you. The world beyond your private walls of existence is waiting for you to step into it.

Pull open the door to your life and walk through it.

Go BEYOND to a greater life of love for everything in the garden.

Stay inspired my friends!