Category: insight

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Acts of Creation

Have you ever wondered how you got here? And what about all the stuff that surrounds you? Where did it come from? Unraveling this mystery can be the work of an entire lifetime.

I am constantly amazed by the simplest things and wonder how they came into existence. Take this six-cent air mail stamp for example.

It seems pretty insignificant at first glance, doesn’t it? Out of date certainly. But, in my opinion still very cool looking. It turns out that if it were in mint condition, it would be worth about $100. And here’s an interesting fact, if it were a slightly different plane and facing the opposite direction, it might be worth $500. Not bad appreciation for a six-cent investment from the 1940’s.

My curiosity appears to know no bounds because here’s the string of thoughts that followed from first seeing the stamp. Maybe your mind runs away with sometimes too.

I wondered who had the idea for this airplane, meant to transport large heavy cargos from place to place. It needed a creator, a special kind of dreamer to envision how it would be possible to fill it with tons of equipment and yet lift it into the air. Then, of course, it needed technicians, designers, production staff, marketers, those wanting to ship their products and those wanting to buy the products.

And it needed pilots and technicians and crew to fly it and airport staff to keep track of it and help it land in heavy cloud cover and ground crews to unload it.

And everyone involved in the process needed to be trained.

I wonder, how is it possible to train someone on something completely new. Something no one has ever done before. Where do the skills come from? And where does the belief begin that starts this whole process?

Mirroring this line of thought, I began wondering about the stamp itself. Someone had to authorize its design, then there was the artist who crafted it, those involved in production, distribution and staff at the post office who sold them. And all those who bought them.

And how did it get to me? To be a part of my collection of cancelled stamps? I wonder, did this stamp ever fly on board the very plane it pictured? Did it arrive at the Post Office, get purchased, then placed on the outside of a package and sent via air mail on the plane it represented? Wouldn’t that be an awesome string of events?

I like that thought because it seems rather poetic to me.

When I sit back and look at this stamp, I can’t help but ask, how did we all get here? What sort of acts of creation brought us into the world?

Okay, I know there is a simple biological explanation for this. I am a father and I understand about the birth process, but there is something infinitely more elaborate and exquisite going on behind the scenes. I know this every time I hold a baby in my arms. Their newness to this world helps me feel/see beyond the veil between here and heaven. I can look into their eyes and see they still remember what it was like there. They have no words to tell me, but their heartbeat against my chest while holding them, speaks to me.

They are all magnificent acts of creation.

I wonder what our lives would be like if we remembered this more often. If we appreciated each other and devoted time to honoring that we are all creative beings, bringing light and life into the world.

It’s funny to me what thoughts and ideas can evolve from one single six-cent air mail stamp. But then I think, every act of creation is a miracle and a cause for wonder.

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How to Compost Your Fears

Would you like to continue our journey together into a greater understanding of how to compost your fears and turn them into fertile soil to enrich your life?

Note: This Post is a continuation of my post, How to Compost Your Fears, part one from January 16, 2022. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, you may want to do so before moving ahead with this post.

So, it’s been four days and it’s time to find out what’s happened to the fears we placed inside our composting containers. I’m curious about what sort of breakdown and changes have been happening while we’ve been away having a good time.

I imagine that your contents and mine may appear very different. Since the only contents I can see are my own, I’ll describe them, and you can see if some of the same things happened to yours.

Before I do, I have to admit that I have some preconceived notions about fear. My sense has been that fears intention is to take something away from me. To somehow make me less, which can create a good deal of anxiety. Over time, I’ve come to a new realization, that this is not the only way to view the role of fear. I’ve discovered it’s possible to shift my attitude and see fear as a divine messenger whose intention is to give something to me to help guide me toward my best life.

A second concern about fear centers around my perceived inability to control outcomes. Ordinarily I want things to turn out a certain way and consider any other result to be unsatisfactory. This generates a tendency toward worst case scenarios and a fear of failure. At times my awareness kicks in and I recognize this isn’t what I really think, but what others have told me, which creates incentive on my part to shift and change directions.

Okay, back to my compost container. When I pried off the lid and peered inside, I discovered the contents had separated into layers, with the lighter pieces (not seeing smiles or being able to hug others, appearing foolish and feeling small) on top and the denser pieces (feeling unsafe, unworthy and a failure) on the bottom.

I realized that not all fears have the same effect on me but that it is still essential to acknowledge each one and be open to its message, rather than ignore them or pretend they don’t exist. I found that each fear offers its own insight and as I embrace it the fear I once experienced is released.

Maybe you are like me and need examples to make sense of the world.

Here is one of the dense fears I experience fairly often. The fear of being unworthy or unloved. I’m not saying it is based on any reality, but that’s one of fears hallmarks, because it only has to appear real to be a problem.

When this happens to me now, I try to come to a full stop and acknowledge the fear I’m feeling and remind myself that I have the power to take action. I have free will and can make any choice I claim. I can find a great self-help book, talk with a friend or counselor or, as I usually do, have a conversation with god.

Whichever I choose, my aim is to shift my level of awareness and recognize the deeper truth that my sense of feeling unworthy or unloved results from seeing myself as separate from god and others. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I’ve come to believe that fear lies underneath all things and shows through every time I need to be reminded of the truth, that I am a part of the divine and connected to everyone else here on earth and that I am loved and cared for and that there is always an answer available to me.

I remind myself that avoidance of fear is not the answer and that although it may seem counterintuitive, opening myself to fear and embracing its message enlightens me and robs fear of its power over me.

No matter what your contents look like or how they feel, know that you have the innate ability to release any of your fears and discover the divine message(s) they came to bring you.

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The Trouble with Choosing Sides

Imagine you are standing amongst a group of kids. You’re facing two other kids who are looking at you with a careful, critical eye. You can see little wheels spinning in their heads while they make their choices. Basically, they are thinking one of two things.

Who will help me win the game we’re about to play (“I want them on my team”) or who will lose it for us (“I absolutely don’t want them on my team”)?

I was a part of this scene dozens of times during my childhood, both as the one making the choices and as the one hoping not to be chosen last.

There is a tremendous emotional imprint made during these sessions which can last a lifetime. It can also affect your self-esteem level, which carries forward to many other situations.

I realize that choosing sides seems to be a part of life and perhaps I would be wise just to accept it.

But I can’t. There is too much at stake.

Every way you look there are expectations for you to make a decision on who to support. Which sports team, political party, religion, talking head, family member, TV show, you name it. You are expected to agree with a certain number of important figures in your life, family members, teachers, business leaders, all to show your allegiance.

But what if you disagree with the crowd? Or, as some others will see it, worst yet, have no opinion at all?

There could be some trouble in that for you, couldn’t there?

Earlier in my life I didn’t have many opinions and I only reluctantly chose sides. Well, except for football, because of course I knew who the best team was. Or did I?

Being forced to choose a side is a tricky thing. Suppose you have no real opinion, or you don’t truly know all of the facts, or you don’t care which side seems to be ‘more right’? In many situations you are expected to choose a side…the ‘right side’ of course. Staying neutral can be dangerous and can place you outside of your group, family, or nation.

Okay, so why would anyone hesitate?

Well, the first reason is that once you choose a side, it makes it very difficult to understand those on the other side. It’s as if your brain goes on strike. It says, “I’ve come to a conclusion and I’m sticking with it and now I don’t have to think any more…case closed”!

You want to talk about dangerous, there it is.

A second reason is that you might feel as though you are missing something. How could there be all these other people who have decided another way is better? What do they know that you don’t? Are there some facts you are unaware of? Maybe it would be valuable to talk with them and find out.

And here’s another thing that happens when you choose a side. Huge rifts are created, and greed and envy polarize positions making it impossible to see beyond them. Wars and territorial issues surface. Borders and fences of all sorts are erected. And emotional attachments harden hearts.

So, what if we didn’t choose sides? Would society collapse? Would there be chaos?

What if we searched for some common ground? What if we were willing to listen so that we could truly know the fuller story? What if we were willing to compromise for the sake of unity? What if winning and losing became unimportant, but everyone gaining peace and harmony took center stage?

And there is more at stake because having to take sides has an emotional impact on each one of us. Being forced to comply with arbitrary positions corrupts us, makes us smaller and weaker as people and blankets our free will which is one of our greatest gifts.

Well, perhaps I am choosing a side after all, one where we aim toward peace and understanding and harmony. I can live with that one.

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Blueprint for Life

Have you heard the simple saying, ‘in a nutshell’?

I hear it less now than I did in the past, but occasionally someone still mentions it. Ordinarily, they’re using it to sum up an idea in just a few words, or as another way of saying, “to make a long story short.”

The funny thing is, it hardly ever does. Most stories seem long, including my own, as if they are too difficult to shorten.

Hearing the expression recently I thought about nutshells. Take an acorn, for example. Acorns are very small, about the size of a large marble, but they can grow to a towering height of 60, 80 or even 100 feet tall.

How do you suppose the contents of that little acorn can create such a marvelous tree? Can you imagine the blueprint inside that sets in motion such a spectacular event?

I realize many things must come together to make it happen. Water, soil, decent weather, absence of fires, good nutrients, and of course the warmth and nourishment of the sun.

I started to wonder about other things in nature. Do all of them come from such humble beginnings?

That got me wondering about us. About our human species and our beginnings. We start out even smaller than an acorn and look what happens to us. Sure, we don’t grow to the impressive height of an oak tree, but we are incredible, nonetheless.

Do we each have a blueprint hidden inside of us? And, are our blueprints unique?

It feels important to me for each of us to decide about our own answers to these two simple questions because it sets the stage for what we experience in our lives. If we believe our life is cast in stone, it will feel very limiting to us. But, if we consider that our blueprint is just a starting point and that we can build on it in any direction we wish, it becomes something else entirely.

I want to share what feels like the truth to me.

I believe each of us chose to come to earth and that we created a blueprint that would allow us to experience a certain kind of life. I also believe that we have complete free will and are able to shift and change any part of our blueprint that does not feel right to us. We can choose to embrace any ideas that support us and choose to release any ideas that restrict us or confine us or limit us in any way.

You may be thinking right now, how can our blueprint provide structure for our life if we don’t know what our blueprint is? After all it’s not as if we were handed an instruction guide when we arrived.

So, how are we to know what our blueprint is?

I believe there are many ways to uncover our blueprints.

We are each naturally gifted with some talents, ones that become obvious to us by our own observation. At other times, someone else may see something in us that we don’t and encourage us to pursue new paths. And, as we move through our lives, we are likely to discover parts of your blueprint as we attend school, play sports, engage in the arts, learn skills, or excel in a profession.

For me though the best way to know about our blueprint is to talk with god about it. To have an honest, direct, open conversation, asking for insight and placing yourself in a receptive frame of mind to listen and hear god’s answers.

In my own conversations I feel guided and supported. I am never told what to do and I’ve come to realize that every path leads me forward, if I am open and accepting. I understand that my blueprint is only a starting point for my life, and I am free to expand, to create and to experience all possibilities.

I marvel at the beautiful design of each of our blueprints and what we are capable of becoming.

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Permission

How would you like to do something extraordinary for yourself? Something to raise you up and empower you?

I’m going to hope that you said, “yes”.

As this new year begins to enfold, I wanted to offer you a practice that has proven to be both magnificent and magical for me. It began several years ago when I was attended a retreat at Kripalu in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Our program presenter is one of my all-time favorites, Tama Kieves. If you ever get a chance to attend one of her workshops, please do yourself a favor and sign up. She’s fantastic.

One of the exercises she suggested to us was to write down several ‘permission statements’. They could be about anything, as long as they felt true to us. It was and is one of the most liberating experiences of my life.

It may sound simple, and it is. There are no set rules and no limits to the creativity you can express, so you can go in any direction that calls to you. The freer and more open you are, the greater your rewards.

This is a life-affirming process and something you can do whenever you feel it would assist you or boost your energy. Each time I add to my list, I feel wider and more expansive. And happier.

What a divine reward that is.

If you have the time now, perhaps you’d like to give it a try. I’d suggest starting with five statements and see how it goes.

The first time I did this it took me several minutes to get into it. I can’t recall what I was concerned about but there was some roadblock standing in front of me. I had to marshal my forces and shove it out of the way before I could begin.

That turned out to be my first permission statement…” I give myself permission to do this assignment”. And from there things began to pick up speed. After the session was over, I went back to my room and sat down to see if more would come. And they did, a whole river of permission statements flowed out of me. It was as if a dam had broken. The liberating feeling created was what my heart needed in that moment and I was so grateful.

I can still capture this same feeling when I write new permission statements now.

I’d like to share some with you in the hopes that they serve as a springboard for your own to appear.

“I give myself permission to speak my truth. This does not mean I have to tell everyone everything.”

“I give myself permission to release the word ‘should’ from my vocabulary and speech and thought whenever it appears and to remind myself the word comes from fear, and so I can turn to love, no matter what the subject or context.”

“I give myself permission to live a life of happiness, bright beautiful happiness, knowing I deserve it simply because I am alive and know there are no requirements or restrictions on my life, because I am a free child of god.”

“I give myself permission to trust the process (of life) and to release any investment in the outcome(s).”

“I give myself permission to realize that at times I will feel struggles and feel vulnerable and feel fears of all kinds, but then to always remember to choose to love myself.”

They are not all long statements. Some are very simple.

“I give myself permission to dream any dream.”

“I give myself permission to live the life I came here to live.”

“I give myself permission to be gentle and kind and loving.”

I hope that this idea takes root in you and that you give yourself whatever permission would offer you peace, freedom and love.

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Giving In

What if we gave in?

I want to be clear here.

I am not talking about giving up or resigning from life. What I am talking about is a kind of letting go and not holding on so tightly to specific results.

When there is only one outcome that we find acceptable, we are limiting life and all the other wonderful opportunities that could happen. It’s as if we are creating roadblocks that prevent us from seeing and experiencing a larger world.

I’ve done this so many times in my life.

It’s hard not to. We are often programmed to want what we want. To set goals and achieve them. To create wish lists. To ask for very specific things; a certain car or watch or book…you name it. And sometimes we can even become obsessed by what we hope to possess.

We tend to think that we need to visualize or manifest only one thing or one outcome or we risk feeling like a failure.

So, what I’m really asking is whether we are capable of giving up this kind of thinking, this kind of asking, and this kind of expecting?

What if we gave in and it expanded our world?

Think of it as opening to a full allowance for everything to be possible, not just the one result our conscious mind can dream up. Our lives are so much bigger than that.

When I consider this, I wonder, what would that look like? How would that feel? What could happen if I could shift my attitude and mind-set?

My immediate answer is…anything could happen!

At first this sounds a bit scarry. ‘Anything’ is pretty wide open and could include things I’m not ready for. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we tend to want specific outcomes, so that we both get what we want and don’t get surprised by other things.

But how do we really know that what we think we want is what is best for us? I think the answer to that is, we don’t.

How could we?

And this begs another question, a far deeper one.

Will life, the universe, god, or whatever concept that feels right to you, provide whatever is best for us, if we give it a chance, and don’t shut the door and focus on only one thing?

Can we find a way to trust that?

That is a very tough question and one I’ve struggled with over the years.

What form of proof would you require before you could accept that what you experience in life is exactly right for you?

On my best days I am patient and open. I encourage myself to pay attention and carefully watch what happens. I counsel myself to accept what appears in my life, believing it is meant for me. I let go of what I’ve established as my goals, aims or desires and allow what comes to fill, feed and nourish me. When this happens, I recognize a greater truth, that I am cared for and all things in my life serve me. It may take a bit of time before I see how they do, but if I let go of my expectations, I come to see this clearly.

There is an awesome grace in giving in and letting go of whatever creates disharmony in our world and I am grateful each time I allow this to happen.

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Letting Yourself off the Hook

Have you done something wrong? Maybe someone else thinks that you did, and they’ve placed you on a hook for it.

Perhaps you recognize an error you’ve made and can’t get past it.

What do you do?

Clearly, this may be simple or quite complex and no one answer exists for all situations. You may or may not agree that you belong on the hook. You may not think that the source of controversy is important or any big deal. You may disagree completely and believe you are blameless.

But, even if you are, knowing that others do not share your opinion can create difficulties and challenges for you.

I wonder what inner part of us controls our decisions about accepting and releasing blame. I wonder too when does blame turn into shame?

I know for sure that both blame and shame are extremely heavy loads to carry, especially if you feel you have to carry them for a long period of time. I don’t think any of us are prepared for that.

So, what resources are available to us?

I believe it is true that lots of perceptive, intelligent, and self-aware folks exist in the world. Many have made it a part of their mission to help those facing blame and shame issues. They have wonderful and insightful things to say and provide a host of suggestions about what to do. If you’d like, you can find them through an internet search.

But what if you don’t have access to their work?

Perhaps that’s the time to focus on your inner resources and your divine self, to call upon your immense strength and your accumulated wisdom from your years here on this earth.

I’d like you to consider that there is a sacred part of you that knows all things, but as of yet, has not been called upon for answers.

I confess this approach requires that you acknowledge you are connected to the divine and the source of all wisdom. Just because I believe this to be true isn’t enough. For there to be any divine aid in resolving blame and shame, you would need to make the decision that you are a part of god.

For just a moment, suspend any sense of disbelief and open to the possibility that you have access to greater wisdom. Allow yourself to conceive that you are directly connected to the divine. And that you can ask and receive answers to all of your questions.

Imagine that there is an answer for you, a solution, and a way forward.

Take a moment and sit back, close your eyes, and breathe in and out gently. Ask for help and guidance. Smile to let the love in. Be open to knowing that there is a center line running through you of joy. A joy that accepts you as you are and understands that you say and do things from a place of unknowing. You are present on earth as an unfolding of perfection. Not perfect itself, but an unfolding into perfection. And as you unfold, recognize that blame and shame do not serve you, other than to point the way past themselves so that you may see more clearly. Know that joy is your natural inner path toward all things.

From this relaxed place, release yourself from any hooks you may be encountering and allow your heart to guide you to the answer you seek and to the way forward that lets go of blame and shame and embraces love and joy. Once in the arms of love and joy, life flows easily.

Peace be with you and inside of you.

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Words Matter

Words matter, the ones you speak out loud, the ones you keep inside and especially the words you tell yourself.

Just the other day I was writing in my journal, and it struck me how differently the words expressed would be if I truly looked at each one.

Here’s a sentence I wrote.

Perhaps there would be some benefit to me if I acknowledged all of my concerns and accepted their potential outcomes, in advance.

There is a lot of meat in this sentence for me, but before I say anything about the content, I want to share that upon rereading it, I felt several changes needed to be made.

Here’s what the sentence looks like when rewritten.

There is benefit for me in acknowledging all of my concerns and accepting their potential outcomes in advance.

Can you sense the difference?

I certainly can. To me the shift is in its definitiveness. There is no ‘perhaps’ about it and rather than there being any question about the benefit of acknowledging my concerns, there is a sense of assurance about doing so. That is a big difference and it made me wonder how often my words reflect my true desires and intentions.

In this case, the content also changed. It shifted from being a question to being a statement that there is great value to me in allowing my concerns to surface, knowing that when I accept them in advance, I can discover their worth. There is power and strength where there had been concern and worry.

Words matter.

They each have their own energy and we are susceptible to it. If you are paying attention to them, you recognize their impact. You can feel them and some of them can elate you while others cause suffering and damage.

When you send your words into the world, they create waves. They ripple and ricochet because what you say to others can move far beyond them. And when combined with strong emotions, their expression and power are heightened.

Words when used with ill intentions cut and destroy and neither the receiver nor the giver are sparred.

Care with using words is a wonderful gift. Kind and generous words build and strengthen. Loving words add to the world. They bring joy and blessings. They open hearts and make the world a wider and more beautiful place.

The direction words travel, whether aimed toward our inner world or sent into the outside world, is important to consider.

What kind of life do you want?

It’s often reflected by the words you choose.

It feels to me that words have an inherent strength, and you can feel this while using them. Surely it depends on the circumstance and the manner in which they are used, but here are a few examples of what I mean.

Wishing feels weak because there is so much room for failure.

Hoping, wanting and desiring are stronger, but lack a sense of conviction. They hint at not being in possession of what you seek.

Intending and aiming are stronger still and more directional and will probably bring about greater results, if there is action taken.

Knowing, claiming and choosing strike me as more complete words. They are active, aware and directive. When used, they call into existence and create and become real in the world. They are the end result of conceiving, believing and taking action.

All words matter.

What we say to others and what we tell ourselves matters. Words create much of what we experience in our life and when chosen wisely bring joy and love into the world.

I am so grateful for words.

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Worrying is Optional

Maybe you’ve heard this phrase before, but have you ever considered it might be true for you? Perhaps you’d like it to be, but you don’t see any way it could happen. And because you can’t see a path, one does not exist for you.

But, what if one did, would you take it?

I’ve been wondering about this for a long time. My daily TO DO list of chores and tasks seems endless and unless I’m in a good place, there is always some amount of stress created by my desire to get things done.

Then of course, as I go through my day, more things get added and sometimes it’s overwhelming. I have to step back and recognize I’m the one in charge, not my perceived list of things to do.

It’s often about my attitude and expectations. If I allow the list to become my master I suffer. This suffering takes many forms. I feel stress in my body, my mind ceases to work fluidly, and my emotional state of being drops. Worry seeps in and tries to smother me.

I feel the power shift from me, to what I fear.

I am not comfortable with this. I ask myself, how can I find a better path, one that leads me out of this cyclical downward spiral?

The answer is not obvious to me, so my struggle continues.

I need help. I know that I am not the only one who feels this way. Others have shared their challenges with me, and they don’t seem to know the way out either.

Before the stress and worry fully cripples me I make a choice. I decide to ask Lia for help. Lia (Love In Action), is for me, a part of god. She is divine feminine energy and is always present in my life. It is my belief that she is present in everyone’s life, one breath away, ready to listen and respond. I encourage you to reach out to her if you need help.

I asked her about the worry and stress I feel and after waiting to see if I was done speaking, she told me this.

“Of course, the answer is CHOICE, as it always is. In this case, your choice is to be open to the truth, that ALL possibilities exist and are already in place. You choose the one you desire to be your earthly reality. It is wise to bear in mind that others in your life are making their own choices alongside of you. There is a weaving together of your life stories, but you are in charge of yours and how you see and experience the world. You create your own life, no one else’s, so focus on your decisions. You aren’t in charge of everyone, only you. You can make suggestions, but it is up to others to make their own decisions. If you choose to feel stress because others don’t follow your suggestions, the answer is simple. Stop making them or release your investment in their outcomes.”

I expressed gratitude for these words but admitted to still feeling stress over the sheer number of things on my plate.

Lia continued, “the truth is there may be many items to be processed but the actual time necessary to complete them is manageable unless you are going to magnify them with stress. You do this by worrying that they won’t get accomplished or completed on time. It is this magnification process that causes your stress, and it is your choice how to manage it.”

I saw her point and it made sense to me.

She added, “regarding your tasks, you might want to consider separating them by day, applying your resources wisely and ‘just doing them’, rather than spending time thinking about them. Worry and stress are bigger when you have no action plan in place. Also, make a point of not accepting others stress or worry level. They may want to give them to you, but you are not required to take them.”

Lia’s final comment to me brought everything together.

“Whatever you decide to do, center it in love. Make every choice one that supports love for yourself and others.” I believe I’ve found my path now

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Sitting For Ideas

Can you imagine finding a quiet comfortable place to sit, then closing your eyes and peacefully waiting for marvelous ideas to arrive inside your mind? Ideas that would improve your life, offer you specific direction and help you to navigate the world.

There is such a place and it’s inside of every one of us.

One of my favorite mentors is Napoleon Hill. I’ve written about him before and probably mentioned that, when he was a cub reporter, he was given the opportunity to interview Andrew Carnegie, who was one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Carnegie took a liking to Napoleon and extended to him introductions to many of the most successful people in business, finance, and the scientific world. Napoleon would spend his next ten years assembling their best ideas and placing them in his book, Think Big and Grow Rich, which is still one of the top ten best-selling self-help books ever published.

Elmer Gates was one of Napoleon’s interviews. Elmer was a prolific inventor and at the turn of the 20th Century owned the largest private laboratory in the world. Napoleon was curious to know where all his ideas came from. When he arrived at Elmer’s office, the secretary asked him to take a seat and told him it might be a while, because Mr. Gates was ‘sitting for ideas’.

Eventually Elmer came out to meet Napoleon and invited him into his office and explained about his delay. He told Napoleon that when confronted with a problem or seeking a solution for a workable invention, he would ‘sit for ideas’. By this he meant that he would enter a darkened room which had only a desk, a chair, a pencil, a pad, and a flashlight. Without distractions, he would sit and wait for ideas, and when something came to him, he would write it down, then go back to sitting until the next idea came. Elmer told Napoleon that this was how he was able to discover answers and solutions that had evaded his busy waking mind.

Given Elmer Gates enormous success it makes me wonder what I can gain from this strategy.

I’m not immediately drawn to the darkened room approach, and you may not be either, but I feel there is something of significant value here.

Perhaps it is that, releasing distractions, creating a peaceful open environment, and embracing an attitude of expectation are key components to success.

I have little doubt that each of us would be well served by distancing ourselves, for even short periods of time, from life’s distractions. Shifting our environment, whether that is a darkened room, a long hot shower, a walk in nature or a meditation period, would give us time and space that could be greatly beneficial.

For me, there are many mornings when I wake up filled with thoughts and ideas. So many, that I have to begin writing them down the moment they come to me. That’s why there are pads all over my house, so that none of my ideas escape. I refer to this process as my overnight download.

I don’t know where the ideas come from. I could speculate, but what feels important to me is their arrival, not their source.

Elmer Gates is not the only person to take advantage of seeing beyond the observable world. Michelangelo said that every block of stone has a masterpiece inside of it and that the job of the sculptor is to let it out.

I believe that in order to find the masterpiece living inside of each of us we need to open ourselves to a truth. A truth that we are a part of the divine, whole and holy. A truth that every answer exists within us, and it is our task to set it free. Believing this and expecting to discover our answers is the gateway to all ideas becoming real.